This will not be a long blog. My goal is simply to get you to read biographies of Christian men and women, that you might be encouraged. I have found the reading of good Christian biographies to be one of the most encouraging practices in my faith, outside of reading the Bible. On my sabbatical a couple of years ago, I read John Piper’s 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy, a collection of 27 biographies of Christians throughout the centuries, originally given as conference talks. Reading this proved to be so good for my soul.
Here are four ways I have been encouraged by reading biographies of Christians:
- I am reminded that God radically saves and changes people. I especially love reading accounts of conversions, and especially conversions where it is both clear and understood that more than a human change or decision is happening, but God is working a miracle.
- I am reminded that God has been at work in and through his church for centuries. God has long been using ordinary churches and ordinary people to accomplish great things. I find this perspective helpful, especially being in ministry.
- I am reminded of the “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) that surrounds us, not only presently, but back over the centuries. Of course, it is God’s “witness” and judgment that will matter on the last day. But it is a great and practical help to observe faith and faithfulness in the lives of others, and use that as a mirror to assess our own lives. And including the lives of saints in different times and contexts gives a greater clarity and balance to this assessment.
- I am reminded that God’s people suffer, often in deep ways, and that God uses such suffering. It is surprising how many of the well-known saints—missionaries, pastors, authors, poets, etc.—experienced deep and painful suffering. But I ultimately come away not discouraged, but encouraged by how God sustained and sanctified them through the suffering.
So, go read a Christian biography! Here are some places to start:
- 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy. You can buy a hardcopy on Amazon or 10ofthose, or download it for free at the Desiring God website (as you can all of John Piper’s works).
- Elisabeth Elliot: A Life, by Lucy S.R. Austen
- C.S. Lewis—A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, by Alister McGrath
- Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, by Collin Hansen. Amazon or 10ofthose.
- Here I Stand: A life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton
- The Confessions of St. Augustine (technically, an autobiography, but a classic for good reason)