John Piper

What does it look like to live a life fully committed to God and his kingdom? Despite having different callings in ministry, Charles Spurgeon, George Müller, and Hudson Taylor all stand as titans of faithfulness — trusting in the sovereignty of God in the midst of affliction, hardship, and loss — and their examples of steadfast confidence in God continue to motivate and inspire God’s people, even today. The seventh book in John Piper’s popular The Swans Are Not Silent series, A Camaraderie of Confidence highlights how the amazing lives and legendary ministries of these three men continue to illustrate what it means to hold fast to the promises of God.

Having proven himself as a poet, John Piper has written another masterpiece, retelling the story of Esther. This two-part poem begins with Mordecai talking with his teenage cousin Hadassah (Esther), whom he is raising. He explains how her grandfather had a prophetic dream about freedom in the land of Susa, and how his aunt and uncle (Esther’s parents) began the journey. Esther’s mother, he explains, died in childbirth, and her father died only two years later. Part two fast-forwards to Esther looking back and explaining how she became queen to her son, and what God’s providential purposes were in saving the Jews. This moving story is complete with illustrations by artist Glenn Harrington, and will inspire faith in God through fictional poetry about the nonfictional story of Esther.

Life was bleak for Naomi. Her husband was dead, as were her sons. She found herself in a foreign land with only one friend-her daughter-in-law Ruth. But as she returned to her hometown of Bethlehem, a ray of divine hope broke through the dark clouds of providence. It was the barley harvest, and she wasn’t alone.

This cycle of poems by John Piper tells the story of God’s care for Naomi and the love affair between Ruth and Boaz through the eyes of their son, an aged Obed, as he narrates the account to his eight-year-old grandson David, the future king of Israel. Through this creative work, readers will walk with Boaz from promise to fulfillment, with Ruth from widowhood to motherhood, and with Naomi from death to life.