Hope Road

God’s Guidance by Elisabeth Elliot ****

What a timely and encouraging read this was for me, and so different from the simplistic, ten-step self-help books that permeate Christian bookstores today. Elliot moves through the principles of ascertaining God’s will, beginning with the foundation of the Lord’s prayer, discussing promises, conditions, and objectives, and finally outlining the means.

For me, the most helpful section of the book was closer to the end than to the beginning. Regardless, the book is full of simple, honest, and profound truths: “I feel a little wistful now and then that God leaves so much up to me. The exercise of the intelligence is taxing. Couldn’t I just shut my eyes and ask for a vision?” (92); “Seeking the will of God as though it had nothing to do with anybody else leads to all kinds of distortions” (103); “I have found it true that obedience may lead me not to the fulfillment of my own ideals of spirituality but to very unexpected situations, very ‘unspiritual’ situations, in my view, that are meant to teach me to be meek and lowly in heart” (67).

Knowing that God’s Guidance was written by a woman who lost her first husband to martyrdom, and who chose to minister among his murderers, made me eager to imbibe the truth it shares. It would be helpful for anyone who is seeking to find out what God might have for his or her future.

Recommended age level: 14+.