How I Know God Answers Prayer: The Personal Testimony of One Life-Time

Goforth, Rosalind, 1864-1942Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 176K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.How I Know God Answers Prayer: The Personal Testimony of One Life-Time by GoforthAuthor: Goforth, Rosalind, 1864-1942,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Jul 12, 2008

Editor's review

This book is Rosalind Goforth's collection of testimonies about prayer drawn from her own experience, a personal narrative within the field of practical Christian theology. The author does not attempt to construct a systematic theology; instead, she links specific events from a lifetime into observations and reflections on answered prayer. It is thus strongly autobiographical and marked by its era. For today's readers, its value lies not in arguing the doctrine of prayer but in offering a sincere record of a life of faith: readers can see how one person understood obedience, waiting, and answered prayer over many years. The prose is plain and direct, the chapters short, suitable for reading chapter by chapter in quiet moments and as a prompt for sharing personal experiences in a faith group. Note that the narrative is rooted in the author's time and missionary context, and some expressions carry the limitations of that era; readers should approach it with both a historical and a devotional eye, appreciating its fervor while retaining independent judgment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Christian devotional traditions and personal testimony
Believers seeking comfort and reflection from another person's faith experience
Readers of literature and history interested in early twentieth-century missionary movements and religious writing
Readers looking for short readings for daily devotion

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic theological argument or academic study of prayer
Readers wholly averse to religious content who want only secular literature
Serious researchers requiring rigorous historical verification and annotation

Reading tips

Read one or two chapters a day, then spend a few minutes writing down your questions or points of resonance; do not rush to conclusions.
Read the table of contents and preface first to learn the author's background before starting the main text, which reduces the sense of historical distance.
Read with friends or a group, each sharing one passage that struck them most, and discuss its relevance today.
Mark expressions you disagree with as you go, then revisit them after finishing the book, so you are not put off midway by individual views.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a theological treatise?

No. It is personal testimony and devotional narrative: the author discusses how prayer was answered over the course of her life, emphasizing story rather than systematic argument. Those seeking dogmatics or a theology of prayer will find it useful only as corroborating material.

Can readers without a Christian background understand it?

Largely yes. The events are clearly narrated and technical terms are few, so general readers can follow the gist. Some biblical references and church context require background knowledge; readers can skip or look them up without losing the overall thread.

What should I keep in mind when reading the ebook?

This is a public-domain ebook with plain formatting; use a reader with adjustable font size and make good use of the table of contents for navigation. As there are no modern notes, look up unfamiliar names and places yourself to avoid misreading the historical context.

Is it suitable for long-term use as devotional material?

It works well as supplementary material. The chapters are short and the tone warm, making it easy to read a little each day; but it is not a devotional manual arranged by the church calendar, so it is best alternated with other classic devotional books to avoid a single perspective.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Goforth, Rosalind, 1864-1942 Author · Canadian · 1864–1942

Rosalind Goforth (1864–1942) was a Canadian missionary who served in Henan, China. Public information about her early life and education is limited, but her life was closely tied to the modern Canadian missionary movement in China. She is best known for How I Know God Answers Prayer: The Personal Testimony of One Life-Time, a personal memoir and testimony of faith that recounts her experience of prayer during her missionary career. Written in a plain and sincere style, the book is autobiographical in nature and has left its mark as a memoir and devotional work, offering a first-hand perspective on the life of missionaries in China. One work by her is held in this collection.