God delivers the Goforths

The Boxer Rebellion took place in China in 1900. Even though the event happened on the other side of the world, God showed His power in the lives of two American missionaries. The Boxers were native Chinese who resented foreigners in their country, and especially foreign missionaries. They began to attack the missionaries, and killed several hundred Christians. In the midst of this tragedy God showed his hand of deliverance to Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth. The Goforths were forced to flee from the city of Hankow, and travel 750 miles over twenty four days. During this trip, they were repeatedly attacked by the Boxers. When an attacker tried to cut off Jonathan Goforth’s head with his sword, the sword struck him in the neck, but with the flat edge. Another man on horseback tried to trample him. Though they were on smooth ground, the horse fell, and his body formed a barrier around Goforth until he could regain his footing. The Goforths escaped each attack and finally made it to safety . Why did God choose to save this missionary family and not all the others? God only knows the time he had set for each of us to depart this life. “It is appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgement” God not only works in the nations and on the large scale of world events, God also deals with the details of individual lives.