* Suffering is never easy, but God can use it as a steppingstone in our spiritual growth. Read the compelling stories of David Brainerd's struggle with illness, John Bunyan's imprisonment, and William Cowper's battle with depression and see how three great servants of God discovered hope in the midst of the harshness of life. 176 pages, softcover from Crossway.

Takes you through the difficult lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd to discover how God takes the privilege of faith and strengthens it with trials so that you experience a greater hunger for him.

John Piper is pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His many books include the others in The Swans Are Not Silent series: Contending for Our All, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, and The Roots of Endurance.

ECPA Gold Medallion winner John Piper is senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and the head of Desiring God Ministries. He has written numerous books on topics that include personal holiness, missions and historical figures.

John Bunyan suffered long-term imprisonment, even when a simple promise to cease preaching would have freed him, and he was moved to rely on God even more... Despite month after month of debilitating depression, William Cowper’s poetry reflected the sustaining character of God and led him to worship more deeply... David Brainerd so desired to honor God that through the loneliness of wilderness ministry and the agony of tuberculosis, he pressed on, transforming world missions forever.

When Augustine handed over the leadership of his church in A.D. 426, his successor was so overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy that he declared, “The swan is silent,” fearing the spiritual giant’s voice would be lost in time. But for 1,600 years Augustine has not been silent---and neither have the men who faithfully trumpeted the cause of Christ after him. Their lives have inspired every generation of believers and should compel us to a greater passion for God.

In this noteworthy Swans Are Not Silent book, John Piper invites you into the lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd to discover how God takes the privilege of faith and strengthens it with trials so that we experience a greater hunger for him. The perseverance of these godly servants exemplifies the essential fruit that affliction can produce in your own life. Their enduring faith will fortify you in your suffering, reminding you that “behind a frowning providence, God hides a smiling face.” And their stories and witness will inspire in you a similar passion for the supremacy of God in your life.

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