David Brainerd Diary Entry
"WEDNESDAY, MAY 18. My circumstances are such that I have no comfort of any kind but what I have in God. I live in the most lonesome wilderness; have but one single person to converse with, that can speak English: Most of the talk I hear is either Highland Scotch or Indian. I have no fellow Christian to whom I might unbosom myself and lay open my spiritual sorrows, and with whom I might take sweet counsel in conversation about heavenly things, and join in social prayer. I live poorly with regard to the comforts of life: most of my diet consists of boiled corn, hasty pudding, etc. I lodge on a bundle of straw, and my labor is hard and extremely difficult; and I have little appearance of success to comfort me. The Indian affairs are very difficult; having no land to live on, but what the Dutch people lay claim to, and threaten to drive them off from; they have no regard to the souls of the poor Indians; and, by what I can learn, they hate me because I come to preach to 'em. But that which makes all my difficulties grievous to be born is that 'God hides his face from me.'" (Works 7, 207)
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I'm currently reading Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney's "Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity" book, and there's a part in one of the chapters where they quote a section from David Brainerd's diary. Supposedly, David Brainerd was a godly and faithful man who went out and lived among the Indians to proclaim the good news. But at the same time, he was struggling with depression while he was living. This diary entry was when he was at his lowest point in his life. Even as you read it, it's really sad that he was alone and he didn't have a community to help him and vice versa.
His diary entry helps me to look at my life and really see how blessed I am in that sense, and so grateful for God's grace. I'm really thankful that I am able to have a community who can help me to grow spiritually and really keep me accountable with my walk with God; people who encourage and challenge me to stay faithful to God; and people whom I can turn to and talk about my spiritual sorrows and heavenly things! I even have the privilege to pray with them every Tuesdays. Reading his diary entry made me realize that I do sometimes take these things for granted. I mean, not that I hate going to prayer meetings or anything because I actually look forward to them each week, but I guess to me, it's just something I do. It's always available to me. But that's not the case for everyone else in the world. This entry reminds me that there are those, out there, that truly desire a community like ours but can't have it because either the country banned the religion altogether or that kind of community is just not available to them.
So Ann, remember that you are more than blessed; more than you can ever imagine. In light of that, be thankful and satisfied with what you have right now and don't take them for granted. And through them, recognize God and His great work and give him praise, honor, and glory. It was through him that you are living right now. Be God-focused!
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I'm currently reading Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney's "Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity" book, and there's a part in one of the chapters where they quote a section from David Brainerd's diary. Supposedly, David Brainerd was a godly and faithful man who went out and lived among the Indians to proclaim the good news. But at the same time, he was struggling with depression while he was living. This diary entry was when he was at his lowest point in his life. Even as you read it, it's really sad that he was alone and he didn't have a community to help him and vice versa.
His diary entry helps me to look at my life and really see how blessed I am in that sense, and so grateful for God's grace. I'm really thankful that I am able to have a community who can help me to grow spiritually and really keep me accountable with my walk with God; people who encourage and challenge me to stay faithful to God; and people whom I can turn to and talk about my spiritual sorrows and heavenly things! I even have the privilege to pray with them every Tuesdays. Reading his diary entry made me realize that I do sometimes take these things for granted. I mean, not that I hate going to prayer meetings or anything because I actually look forward to them each week, but I guess to me, it's just something I do. It's always available to me. But that's not the case for everyone else in the world. This entry reminds me that there are those, out there, that truly desire a community like ours but can't have it because either the country banned the religion altogether or that kind of community is just not available to them.
So Ann, remember that you are more than blessed; more than you can ever imagine. In light of that, be thankful and satisfied with what you have right now and don't take them for granted. And through them, recognize God and His great work and give him praise, honor, and glory. It was through him that you are living right now. Be God-focused!
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