The Student Who Ran Out of Road

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

Reuben Archer Torrey was born in 1856 in New Jersey, USA, into a wealthy family. His mother prayed for him constantly. But when he went to Yale University, he threw himself into everything his mother had prayed against: the theatre, horse racing, card games and heavy drinking.

One spring night in 1875, Torrey reached rock bottom. He was so full of despair that he meant to end his life. But instead, he found himself praying. He remembered his mother’s prayers, and he promised God that he would do whatever God asked of him, even, he said, become a preacher.

If you ever feel as low as Torrey did that night, please don’t keep it to yourself. Tell a trusted adult straight away, or contact a crisis line. God met Torrey in his darkest hour, and help is there for you too.

Torrey kept his promise. He became a minister, studied in Germany, and came home determined to teach people to trust the Bible. In 1888 he gave up his salary to work among the poor, trusting God for every meal his family ate. Then D. L. Moody invited him to Chicago to lead his new Bible school, which became the Moody Bible Institute.

Torrey was famous for prayer. For years, hundreds of people met with him every Saturday night to pray for revival around the world. He went on to preach in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India and Britain. He wrote more than forty books.

One of the most practical was How to Succeed in the Christian Life. He wrote it for new Christians who had just started following Jesus and wanted to know how to keep going. It is short, clear and full of practical advice.

Torrey’s own life is a reminder that it is never too late. If you have drifted, or made a mess of things, you can begin again. As he puts it in the first chapter: “If any one who reads these pages has begun wrong, it is a very simple matter to begin over again and begin right.”

One thing to do this week: if someone has prayed for you, a parent, grandparent or friend, thank them this week. And write down one area of your life where you would like to “begin again” with God.