LOVING DAVID BRAINERD

When my attitude gets bad I often read the Letters of David Brainerd to His Friends in The Works of Jonathan Edwards Vol. 2. It is a most inspiring, edifying, sobering, and challenging read. David Brainerd lived a very short life: twenty-nine years, five months and nineteen days. Only eight of those years as a believer, and only four of those as a missionary.

John Piper writes of Brainerd:

"Why has Brainerd's life made the impact that it has? One obvious reason is that Jonathan Edwards took the Diaries and published them as a Life of Brainerd in 1749. But why has this book never been out of print? Why did John Wesley say, "Let every preacher read carefully over the 'Life of Brainerd '"? Why was it written of Henry Martyn that "perusing the life of David Brainerd, his soul was filled with a holy emulation of that extraordinary man; and after deep consideration and fervent prayer, he was at length fixed in a resolution to imitate his example"? Why did William Carey regard Edwards' Life of Brainerd as a sacred text? Why did Robert Morrison and Robert McCheyne of Scotland and John Mills of America and Frederick Schwartz of Germany and David Livingston of England and Andrew Murray of South Africa and Jim Elliot of modern America look upon Brainerd with a kind of awe and draw power from him the way they and countless others did ? Gideon Hawley, another missionary protégé of Jonathan Edwards spoke for hundreds when he wrote about his struggles as a missionary in 1753, "I need, greatly need something more than humane (=human or natural) to support me. I read my Bible and Mr. Brainerd's Life, the only books I brought with me, and from them have a little support ."

I sit on the shoulders of these greats and say a hearty AMEN! Let me give you just a taste of Brainerd from his Letter 3 to his brother Israel on January 21, 1734.

"There is but one thing that deserves our highest care and most ardent desires; and that is that we answer the great end for which we were made, to glorify that God who has given us our beings and all our comforts, and do all the good we possibly can to our fellow men, while we live in the world; and verily life is not worth the having, if it not be improved for this noble end and purpose. Yet alas, how little is this thought among mankind! Most men seem to live to themselves, without much regard for the glory of God, or the good of their fellow creatures..."

Brainerd goes on and gives directions to his brother on how to glorify God and make his soul happy in this world and the coming world:

1. Resolve upon, and daily endeavor to practice, a life of seriousness and strict sobriety.
2. Be careful to make improvement of precious time.
3. Take heed that you faithfully perform the business that you have to do in this world, from regard to the commands of God; and not from an ambitious desire of being esteemed better than others.
4. Never expect any satisfaction or happiness from this world. If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world.
5. Never think that you can live to God by your own power and strength; but always look to and rely on Him for assistance, yea, for all strength and grace.

He concludes:

"This... is a life that every Godly soul is pressing after in some good measure. Let it be your great concern, and thus to devote yourself and your all to God."

Pressing hard after the God of David Brainerd, devoting myself and my all to His and my God,
Pastor Bill