I am so excited to share these four Christian biographies with you.
Biographies are not my usual choice when it comes to reading books. I’m more likely to pick up a self-development book rather than a biography. But I’m so glad I came across the books on this list.
To say that they were great would be a gross understatement.
Each of these books had something special, they each taught me some profound truths that I pray I never forget.
By way of introduction, biographies are written stories of a person’s life, it is a narration of that person’s experiences.
It may be narrated by a third party or by the actual person (autobiography).
One thing I particularly loved about these books was that they were written/narrated by the authors. Basically, it was not someone else writing about them. While these are great too nothing actually beats having someone share their own story.
I say this for two reasons:
- When someone else writes your story, they interpret your actions based on who they think you are. They may use your past actions as a guide. But we all know that our actions may not always mirror our intentions, or can be easily misconstrued. For example, I may donate money to a cause. From the outside people may see me as being generous and kind but it’s possible I only did it for the accolades or because I felt guilty and not because I really cared about the cause.
- When someone narrates their own story, you get a peek into what happens behind the scenes. You are privy to their thought processes, to their own description of their lives, and the things that matter to them. It is much richer than another person’s rendition.
While I say this, I also know that it’s not always possible to publish an autobiography.
For instance, Daughter of Destiny tells the story of Kathryn Kuhlman’s life. It was a wonderful book but I couldn’t help wishing she had been the one sharing her story rather than someone interpreting her actions and her life.
Nonetheless, I would prefer an autobiography any day.
Four Christian biographies for Single Christian Women
Without further ado, here are four incredible biographies I believe every Christian woman should read. Two of these books are particularly powerful because they were narrated by single women and showed the unbelievable things that God can do through single Christian women.
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A Narrative of some of the Lord’s dealings with George Muller
Of the four books on the list, I would say that this book had the greatest impact on my life, and for good reason. This book was written like a journal entry, with dates and times at the beginning of some entries. I absolutely loved the rawness and vulnerability shown in this book.
You could see the highs and lows of his faith journey.
This book is quite old, published in the 1800s(almost two hundred years ago) but you quickly realize that many of the triumphs and struggles are the same – trusting God for provision, for protection, for wisdom, and for health.
George Mueller is best known as one of the people who revolutionalized orphan care in the United Kingdom. He also created adult literacy programs and schools. At the time of his death, he had cared for over 10,000 orphans and had set up hundreds of schools.
In this book, he shared the journey from the creation of their first orphanage and how God provided miraculously and expanded their work throughout the country.
But that wasn’t all! I believe the incredible part of this book was the controversial decision George Muller took.
He determined in his heart that he was not going to ask anyone for money for the orphanages but will let God provide for the work.
There were moments when they didn’t have food or clothing for the children when they couldn’t pay the staff, but in every one of these moments, God came through (sometimes, at the very last minute).
These moments had me at the edge of my seat, literally, wondering how they would manage.
On some days, he battled with trusting God when they had nothing and continuing to encourage others while in dire circumstances.
Why you should read:
I believe George Muller’s story is very inspiring but more so, the way he details processes including creating budgets, managing limited funds and workers, will be useful for anyone looking to set up an NGO or infuse Christ-centered values in their business. He even shares tips on waking up early, he says:
“rise at once when you are awake. Remain not a minute longer in bed, else you are likely to fall asleep again. Be not discouraged by feeling drowsy and tired in consequence of your rising early. This will soon wear off. You will after a few days feel yourself stronger and fresher than when you used to lie an hour or two longer than you needed.”
After reading this book, I was moved to pursue a dream of doing some work on adult literacy. I also loved how he kept calling it the Lord’s work in his hands. He didn’t take any credit for all the amazing things he did but ascribed all of it to God.
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The Little woman by Gladys Alyward
Gladys was a poor housemaid who felt God was calling her to mission work after attending an outreach event. Her meager salary meant she had to save for a long while. She also joined a group preparing missionaries to go to China but was not selected because she didn’t do well enough in the language tests.
But she believed God wanted her in China and she continued to save and was able to make a connection with someone over there.
Her journey to China was fraught with danger and struggle, she was almost imprisoned on several occasions and had little to eat.
Gladys Alyward’s story is filled with so many incredible miracles and powerful expressions of God’s grace and mercy.
There are just too many to count but I will quickly narrate a few: A few years into her time in time in China (in a small village in the mountains of Yancheng) Gladys cried out to God in loneliness. She thought about marriage and all.
By this time, her host— the old lady who had invited her to come – had passed on.
A few days later, she found a little girl on the brink of death, the girl’s mother didn’t seem to care and wanted to sell the girl.
Gladys, enraged and broke, haggled with the women and finally bought the girl for nine pence (yes, you read that right). This would be about £6-7 in today’s money.
The little girl brought in other displaced children and soon, Gladys was so busy taking care of and loving these children that she had no time to be lonely.
Isn’t it funny how God answers our prayers?
She was also appointed by the government as a foot inspector to stop the harmful practice of foot binding of young women. You can read more about this subject here and how she was led to intervene in prison riots.
Basically, she did amazing things because of the one who sent her.
Why you should read:
Gladys was a single woman who followed the dream God placed in her heart despite the challenges – her finances, her intellect, and lack of connections. Did I mention that she was very small? Barely 5ft, yet she didn’t allow this to stop her.
I believe so many of us have allowed our ‘perceived’ limitations to stop us from trusting God wholeheartedly.
As single women, we may have allowed our desire for marriage to stop us from pursuing other goals and dreams. While Gladys never got married, her story highlights the amazing things God can do through a woman who is surrendered to him.
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The Hiding place by Corrie ten Boom
Oh! How I loved this book!
Beyond the stories, the writing was excellent. It was evocative and searing.
I have written a little bit about her story here, but I believe this book is a must-read for every Christian, especially single Christian women.
The book charts three key stages of Corrie’s life:
It starts off with her childhood and early twenties, including her biggest heartbreak.
Secondly, it talks about the beginnings of the second world war and how her family was hiding Jews in their attic (this part was suspenseful; you kept hoping the Nazis would not find the Jews with each military inspection,).
The final part of the book chronicles her time in prison, and how God used her and her sister to encourage fellow prison inmates.
The narration of their time in prison was heart-wrenching.
You read how these women went through many indignities, they were often hungry, cold (had little clothing even in the winters), sick, etc.
I love so many parts of this book, but one thing that often made me chuckle was how relatable Corrie ten Boom was, she wasn’t some perfect woman who did well all the time and had unwavering faith in God. Nope!
She stumbled and muddled her way through.
She would often tell God to work on her heart, and she also talked about her sister, Betsy ten Boom, who was angelic, through and through.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“The experience of our lives when we let God use them become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work he will give us to do.”
“Love is the most powerful force in the world, but when it is blocked it is so painful. But that doesn’t stop it. Ask God to give you the right channel to give your love expression.”
Her dad said this to her after the love of her life got engaged to another woman.
Some classic Betsy ten Boom quotes:
“There are no if’s in God’s world and no places that are safer than others, the centre of his will is our only safety. Oh Corrie, let us know this…”
“We must tell people what we learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that he [God] isn’t deeper still.”
Betsy was talking about their experiences in prison.
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A Retrospect by James Hudson Taylor
James Taylor was known for his mission work in China. He founded the China Inland Mission and spent over 50years in China.
This book narrates how he gave his life to Christ and his faith journey from England to China. I will not spend time dissecting the book like I did with the others, but will share some memorable quotes:
“while fully recognising all the benefits and blessings bestowed on a sin-stricken world through the proclamation of the Gospel and spread of Truth, we should never lose sight of the higher aspect of our work – that of obedience to God, of bringing glory to His name, of gladdening the heart of our God and Father by living and serving as His beloved children.”
“Upon reaching Shanghai, great was my dismay to find that the premises in which my medicines and instruments had been stored were burnt down and that all the medicines and many of the instruments were entirely destroyed. To me this appeared a great calamity, and I fear I was more disposed with faithless Jacob to say, “All these things are against me,” than to recognise that “All things work together for good.” I had not then learned to think of God as the One Great Circumstance “in Whom we live, and move, and have our being”;”
“Would it not be well if the people of God had always tell-tale faces, evincing the blessings and gladness of salvation so clearly hat unconverted people might have to call conversion “becoming joyful” instead of “becoming serious?”
(I laughed out loud at this one…so true!)
Why you should read this book:
While this book mostly chronicles his missionary journey, it also shows the realities of living for Christ.
One memorable incident was when he was still a young man, going to different parts of London to preach and encourage people. He had gone to a particular house where a poor family lived. The man’s wife, I believe, was deeply sick and James Hudson felt the Holy Spirit direct him to give the family the money on him (it was all he had).
Basically, God wanted him to give them money but he struggled with this and rather spent time praying for the family.
When he left the place, he felt no peace and finally went back and gave them the money.
I love this story because it was a reminder that God can call us to do different things at different times. The poor family’s ailments had been mostly from hunger and not having money for sundries. The solution they needed was money, not a pastor telling them to have faith.
Closing thoughts
You may have noticed how I gushed over these books.
I am forever grateful to God for the privilege to read and learn about these incredible men and women of God.
Their life stories remain an inspiration and show that God can use any of us for His glory – “he doesn’t seek the qualified but qualifies the called.”
I should also mention that I didn’t have to pay for any of these books.
As they are quite old, you may be able to access free copies. I got mine through iBooks. You could check that or search on Google.
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