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The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd
- GenresBiography
528 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2023
10 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
David Brainerd
142 books20 followersDavid Brainerd was Christian missionary to the Native Americans, particularly among the Delaware Indians of New Jersey. His posthumously-published biography has become a source of inspiration and encouragement to many Christians, especially missionaries.
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September 20, 2024
This is one of the great ones. It has a longstanding reputation that will not be lost when actually being read. On the other hand, it is different. It’s a biography that reads like a spiritual classic. It is a spiritual classic drawn from a man’s life. It’s like a memoir of a man who only relates to God and has no other life whatsoever. Not stylistically is it written about God, but its essence is that God is the hero and its (auto) biographic subject is the villain. At book’s end, though, you of necessity will arrive at two conclusions: 1) our God is awesome, and 2) Brainerd is a Christian you need to be much more like. And that’s just part of what this book has to offer.
The first and lengthiest part of the book is the Life and Diary. It reads like it was never meant to be read by someone else. There’s no posing, no justifying, just a man recording his wrestlings of faith. There are elements of discouragement so deep that some will suspect a mental health struggle as they read. The beauty of the reading, though, is how he groped after God. He prayed and prayed and like the wrestling Jacob would not let go till the Lord blessed him with His presence. The part that smacks me is that I might quit groping and sink down in that darkness. The impressions gained by the end of that section are that I must never quit turning to God, that I must relentlessly turn to Him rather than myself, and that an intimate relationship with the Lord is available if I will simply go after it as the most important thing in life.
The next section, the Journal, is a different animal altogether. The first surprise is that the Diary left you thinking he didn’t accomplish a thing. Now you find out the Lord used him mightily. There’s still not one syllable designed to impress you as the story is related in a Dragnet just-the-facts style. Brainerd still writes as one totally unimpressed with himself while I became one more and more impressed. The next surprise is that this humble, and dare I say even broken man, was one of the greatest missionaries ever.
Don’t miss what might seem like the hodgepodge that concludes the book. Some of the observations given explain so well the hardships of missionary work. Another feature both in Brainerd’s humble statements and Edward’s perceptive analysis is a guideline for what is real in revival.
Throughout the work, you see hardships on a level that most of us never get within a mile of. What an encouragement you’ll gain because his attitude was never O-me-O-my, but rather with an awesome God like I had why didn’t I handle it even better.
More than a book or a biography, this volume is an experience.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
The first and lengthiest part of the book is the Life and Diary. It reads like it was never meant to be read by someone else. There’s no posing, no justifying, just a man recording his wrestlings of faith. There are elements of discouragement so deep that some will suspect a mental health struggle as they read. The beauty of the reading, though, is how he groped after God. He prayed and prayed and like the wrestling Jacob would not let go till the Lord blessed him with His presence. The part that smacks me is that I might quit groping and sink down in that darkness. The impressions gained by the end of that section are that I must never quit turning to God, that I must relentlessly turn to Him rather than myself, and that an intimate relationship with the Lord is available if I will simply go after it as the most important thing in life.
The next section, the Journal, is a different animal altogether. The first surprise is that the Diary left you thinking he didn’t accomplish a thing. Now you find out the Lord used him mightily. There’s still not one syllable designed to impress you as the story is related in a Dragnet just-the-facts style. Brainerd still writes as one totally unimpressed with himself while I became one more and more impressed. The next surprise is that this humble, and dare I say even broken man, was one of the greatest missionaries ever.
Don’t miss what might seem like the hodgepodge that concludes the book. Some of the observations given explain so well the hardships of missionary work. Another feature both in Brainerd’s humble statements and Edward’s perceptive analysis is a guideline for what is real in revival.
Throughout the work, you see hardships on a level that most of us never get within a mile of. What an encouragement you’ll gain because his attitude was never O-me-O-my, but rather with an awesome God like I had why didn’t I handle it even better.
More than a book or a biography, this volume is an experience.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Displaying 1 of 1 review