If you have a heart for missions and for missionaries, you will want to get “Voices of the Faithful – Book 2: Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World.”
As an admirer of missionaries and their families, I greatly anticipated reading this second devotional from the International Mission Board. Kim P. Davis, again, did not disappoint in her compilation of these short stories or in how she organized the material.
These are the words of the missionaries themselves as they encounter various individuals whom they have been called to proclaim the gospel.
The Devotional is arranged first by calendar month with focus on a specific aspect. Each month’s devotions include a brief introduction by Beth Moore and a more focused detail by Kim P. Davis.
The calendar focus topics include: “Prayer, The Priority”; “God, Our Loving Father”; “Divine Appointments”; “Jesus, The Sacrificial Lamb”; “Follow Me”; “The Power of the Story”; “Lost and Found”; “Making Him Known”; “Lessons From The Young”; “From Adversity to Triumph”; “Be Encouraged”; and “Hope For The World”.
Next are two indexes; the first of Devotional Titles by Month and Scripture Reference. These two sections I found particularly helpful. It is often that I may read a devotional and later remember, perhaps the title or the scripture but cannot recall the date. Being able to search by scripture or by title makes this devotional unique from those I’ve read before.
And finally, sections offering specific ways to pray for missionaries and options to involve your local church in prayer for missions.
The devotional style is that of other devotionals (scripture, devotional story or thoughts, and occasionally a prayer) for each day. One thing I found particularly endearing were the specific prayers. Simply beautiful. We often forget the particulars in prayer. Reading these prayers will provoke me to remember the specific things, such as:
March 1st – “Divine Appointments”
Heavenly Father, train me to recognize Your divine appointments. Give me courage. I pray for those whom I will encounter. May Your Spirit already be drawing them to Yourself. Amen“
September 16th – “A Pretty Cool God”
“Thank You, Father for missionary kids and for their special contribution to ministry. Let them each understand what a ‘cool’ God You are. Amen”
December 3rd – “A Work in Progress”
“Lord, I confess that there are things I put before You such as ______________. I release those things to You. I want to love You above all else rather than being self-absorbed. In the name of Jesus, do this work in me. Amen”
If you are looking for a devotional that will speak to the reader with transparency and Truth, this is the one. I recommend it highly.
Voices of the Faithful: Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around World, Volume 2By Beth Moore & Kim P. Davis / Thomas Nelson# Hardcover: 480 pages
# Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 15, 2009)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 084992071X
# ISBN-13: 978-0849920714
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