The Sweet Taste of Providence by Christine Farenhorst

This unique devotional book uses Christian history as a springboard for relevant perspectives on the Christian life.

The Sweet Taste of Providence: 74 Devotional Episodes from History by Christine Farenhorst.  Joshua Press (Canada), 2016, 296 pages

Reading Level: Middle grades, 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-18

“God acts in history.”  Evangelicals may have heard this in church more than once, but for many of us that history ends with the book of Acts.  We know very little about church history after that, except for looming milestones like the Reformation and perhaps the missionary movement that began with William Carey.  But when Christ said, “I will build my church,” he wasn’t talking about a one-time event—or not exclusively.  He has never stopped building his church, and the Holy Spirit is at work in the everyday lives of unknown Christians as he is in the momentous lives of a Luther, Wilberforce, or Bonhoeffer.  The Sweet Taste of Providence demonstrates the effect of faithful believers in their own homes and neighborhoods, before kings and with beggars, facing death or struggling with how to live.

Most of these stories, if not all, are actual events with dates and places although a few have been wreathed in legend.  All are fascinating.  How did the “Baden fool” crash the sale of indulgences in a town in Switzerland?  How did the patience of Rev. Hobson of Liverpool win a skeptical doctor to Christ?  What became of the turn-of-the-century health craze “fletcherizing”?

Each story, in devotional style, is headed by a scripture and concludes with two “Food for Thought” questions.  The questions are not of the “how does this make you feel?” kind, but are genuinely probing and discussion-worthy.  The book will not be easy to find in a library; you’ll have to buy it, but it’s available in e-book and paperback formats.  It’s worthwhile for family devotionals and for the history-lover in your household, as well as a worthy addition to a church library.

Cautions: None

Overall value: 4.75 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 5
• Artistic value: 4.5

Also by Christine Farenhorst: Afterwards I Knew, a collection of short stories about World War I.