Secure in the Everlasting Arms

My husband and I love this book. Elizabeth Elliot has a way of putting things into perspective, and speaks so candidly, speaking about things just as they are. It a very encouraging read.

Secure in the Everlasting Arms Few writers communicate the reality of a life lived in Christ with as much depth and eloquence as Elisabeth Elliot. Her communication of The Magnificence in the ordinary, everyday things we all encounter and often pass over as mundane trivialities, is not only enlightening, but faith building as well. Light reading with extreme depth, quite a feat for any author, but one easily accomplished by Elliot. She is, truly, one of the great Christian writers of our time.

This book is an incredible resource for encouragement, wisdom, hope, and insight. My mother, a godly woman who has been my mentor through the years, gave it to me on my 40th birthday. She said that Elisabeth Elliot writes the deep truths she has learned over the years but in a way that she never could. If you want to be mentored by someone with a sweet spirit of grace and who has been through trials and triumphs than get this book. You will learn and be blessed in a way that few books can match. You'll want to buy one for all of your friends after you read it!

I normally don't write reviews until I've completed the book. In this case, however, I'm so excited to recommend this book that I can't wait! In the Introduction, Elisabeth Elliot explains this book is a compilation of short articles that have appeared in her newsletter over the past 10 years or so. I've only read 7 of the 2-4 page devotionals, but each one was excellent, and 2 of those have been life-changing. God has used them to speak to me right where I'm at, in such a powerful way! I can't wait to read the rest of the book, but I'm savoring it, reading only a couple chapters a day, so it's not over too quickly! The chapters that mean so much to me are "Shoes of Iron" and "The Future is Not Our Province". I spent two days of my journaling/Bible study/prayer time journaling about "Shoes of Iron" and looking up related writings in other devotionals, etc. The more I read and wrote, the more I learned. I expect "The Future Is Not Our Province" to similarly inspire me when I sit down with pen and paper. These two devotionals alone would be worth the price of the book! At the end of each devotional, Elisabeth includes a quote from a Christian writer, mostly from long ago. It's fascinating to see how the writings of someone who lived in the 1600's relate so closely to how God is working in my life today. These quotes and prayers are a good jumping-off-point to learning about Christian classics.This book would make an excellent gift for either the serious student or a busy person who has limited knowledge and/or time to meet with God. The chapters are meaty without being difficult to understand. If you haven't read Elisabeth's book "Through Gates of Splendor", you should do so! In it, Elisabeth tells the story of how her husband Jim Elliot and several other men were martyred in the jungles of Ecuador in the late 1950's by the Auca Indians who they were trying to reach with the gospel. Her faith is so inspiring and the fact that she took her young daughter back down there to work amongst those people is nothing short of miraculous. If you enjoy "Secure in the Everlasting Arms" half as much as I did, you will be richly blessed! Please see my other reviews of Christian books and music.