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These biographies recount the lives of a number of men and women who are recognized today for their faith and dependence on God. They are all recognized as ones who accomplished significant things for God beyond their human ability. All of these individuals believed strongly in the Deity of Jesus and depended on His empowerment in their lives.
If you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, please read some of these books with an awareness of the way in which Jesus worked in these men and women's lives. Contrast these lives and their dependence on Jesus with those individuals with whom you are familiar.
These biographies include many of the classic works depicting these individuals' lives. Many of these books have been reprinted numerous times and have different publication information than given below. Some of them may be out of print and will require a trip to a used book store.
J. Hudson Taylor, God's Man in China, Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Moody Press, Chicago IL, 1977, 366 pages. This book is out of print, but is worth searching for. The story of Taylor's life is a dramatic account of faith in God as Provider. Through insurmountable odds, Taylor founded the China Inland Mission (CIM) in 1865 on the faith principle that he would never solicit money but would ask only God for provision. In his lifetime, the mission grew to over 600 missionaries "supported" entirely by prayer. God used the mission to reach the entire inland area of China with the Gospel prior to China's closing by the Communists in the late 1940s.
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Moody Press, Chicago IL, 1989, 256 pages. This book describes Hudson Taylor's experience of establishing his faith on the indwelling presence of Jesus in his life. Taylor learned that it was Jesus in him Who empowered him to serve God, rather through his own effort to live the Christian life.
J. Hudson Taylor, A Man in Christ, Roger Steer, OMF Books, Littleton CO, 1990 and 1993, 300 pages. This book gives good insight into Taylor's life. Taylor's faith is portrayed through his action in dependence on God.
Hudson Taylor and Maria, John Pollock, Christian Focus Publications, Ross-shire, Great Britain, 1996, 206 pages. An excellent description of Taylor's faith in starting the China Inland Mission, his marriage to Maria, and her great and positive influence on his life.
Hudson Taylor & China's Open Century, 7 volumes, A.J. Broomhall, The overseas Missionary Fellowship, London, 1989, over 3,500 pages. A definitive account of Taylor's life and accomplishment. It is an excellent 7-volume set and will leave the reader with an overwhelming impression of God working through an obedient--and very human--life.
George Müller of Bristol, His Life of Prayer and Faith, A.T. Pierson, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1999 (reprint of the 1899 edition), 375 pages. As the sub-title suggests, this is an excellent book describing Müller's faith and prayer life. He is best known for his orphanage work in England where he built and staffed five large orphanage building without ever appealing for money. His sole appeal was to God as the One who would provide through prayer. It is estimated that George Müller gave over $107,000,000* in his lifetime.
*Attempting to derive exchange rates between historic money spent and present currency is never exact. However, the Müllers gave £1,453,513 between 1835 and 1898. Arbitrarily selecting 1860 for the exchange period, and converting that to 1997 U.S. dollars, equals $107,143,000.
George Müller, Delighted in God!, Roger Steer, Harold Shaw Publishers, Wheaton IL, 1981, 320 pages. This book is primarily concerned with the events of the Müllers' lives, though it also gives adequate insight into George Müller's prayer life and faith.
George Müller on Faith, a 30-day Devotional Treasury, Lance Wubbels, editor, Emerald Books, Lynnwood WA, 1998, 62 pages. This is a short book of devotional readings collected from Müller's writings.
John Hyde, Man of Faith, (formerly titled, Praying Hyde) Francis McGaw, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis MN, 68 pages. This short book will leave a deep impression of the cost and effectiveness of total commitment to prayer. John Hyde was a missionary to India who spent entire nights in prayer (at great cost to his health) pleading with God for the salvation of Indian nationals. His influence was great, not only on the people of India, but on European and American Christians as well. The Book may be out of print, but is well worth reading.
Praying Hyde, Edited by Captain E.G. Carre, Bridge Publishing, Inc., South Plainsfield, New Jersey, 184 pages. An anthology recounting the prayer life of John Hyde.
Mountain Rain, A Biography of James O. Fraser, Eileen Fraser Crossman, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1994, 246 pages. This book, written by J.O. Fraser's daughter, very adequately describes his life of prayer and faith. As a missionary to China, Fraser asked God to give him an entire group of illiterate and isolated people in the highlands of China. The book recounts his loneliness, the development of his faith and prayer life, and the Lisu people's eventual turning to Christianity.
Behind the Ranges, The Life-Changing Story of J.O. Fraser, Geraldine Taylor, OMF Books, Littleton CO, 1944 and 1998, 300 pages. In the early 1900s, J.O. Fraser went to a remote area of China to work with an illiterate tribe untouched by the Gospel. This is an excellent book recounting Fraser's prayer and faith as he sought to win these people for Christ.
The Prayer of Faith, J.O. Fraser, OMF Books, Littleton CO, 1995, 29 pages. The material in this book is excerpted from Behind the Ranges. It is an interesting study on the prayer of faith.
John and Betty Stam: A Story of Triumph, Mrs. Howard Taylor, OMF Books, Robesonia, PA, 1935 with current reprints, 141 pages. John and Betty Stams' 1934 martyrdom in China by their Communist captors has been a classic account of victorious life and sacrifice for the cause of Christ.
Ann Judson, Heroine of Burma, Basil Miller, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975, 126 pages. Ann Judson's relatively short life was marked by a deep devotion to God and heroic exploits to save her husband from certain death in prison. God's hand and leading is evident throughout the book.
If I Perish, Esther Ahn Kim, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1977 and later (currently in print), 256 pages. The author refused to bow to a Shinto shrine during Japan's occupation of Korea. She knew she would be imprisoned for her defiance. She spent six years in misery and hunger. The book is an account of how a young woman who was physically weak and who had lived in a wealthy home, survived in Jesus' strength under the worst of prison conditions.
Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand, Living Sacrifice Books, Middlebury, IN, 1990 and reprints, 139 pages. Wurmbrand recounts his 14 years in Communist Romanian prisons for his refusal to compromise his Christian faith. His graphic descriptions of depraved physical torture underscore the power of God in his and other believer's lives.
C.T. Studd, Cricketer & Pioneer, Norman Grubb, Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, 1985, 241 pages. Studd came from a wealthy family, but gave away his entire fortune so that he could learn to live by faith. He lived by faith as a missionary in China without any guaranteed funds. He spent the last 20 years of his life in Africa, establishing a mission which depended entirely on God's provision without any appeals for money.
Oswald Chambers, Abandoned to God, David McCasland, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids MI, 1993, 336 pages. This book gives good insight into the internal struggle involved in full commitment to Christ. The story of Chambers' wife, Biddy, is as compelling as that of Oswald Chambers himself.
Rees Howells, Intercessor, Norman Grubb, Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington PA, 1952 and 1997, 263 pages. This book is excellent in its portrayal of the high cost of intercessory prayer. Howells prayed in faith and God specifically answered.
By Their Blood, James and Marti Hefley, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1979, 664 pages. This book recounts the world-wide events of Christian martyrs in the 20th Century. Probably no other events in the life of the Church have caused it to rely more on Jesus--and to prosper in its proclamation of the Gospel--than persecution. God's work in and through human lives is often seen best in those who have suffered most.