One day I read a book titled A Woman Named Damaris by Janette Oke. This is my 4th favorite book because of the way J.O. describes Acts 17:34. The story is about a young teenage girl named Damaris who escapes from her abusive father and poor home life. She travels to a city where she finds a shop with a seamstress, for months she works for this woman and is taught the Word and the sovereignty of God. And after awhile Damaris tells the seamstress, Ms. Dover, that her mother had always told her that her name was in the Bible. Damaris had never read this book before and longed to find where her name was in this Bible Ms. Dover spoke so highly of. After months of reading along with Ms. Dover she almost gave up looking, until one day while working Ms. Dover gave her a slip of paper with the words 'Acts 17:34' written on it. So rushing home after work she reads the passage, it read "Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed, among which was Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them." Devastated at the small, almost non-existent mentioning of her name Damaris fell asleep with tears in her eyes.
The next morning she sat at her machine alongside Ms. Dover and tried not to mention the passage, but later, before she could leave Ms. Dover asked her if she had read the it. Damaris answered that she had, but didn't understand it, and expressed her disappointment. Her eyes glowing Ms. Dover exclaimed, that it was 'one of my favorite verses' Damaris not understanding asked why. Ms. Dover answered, saying that the Damaris of the Bible, though only mentioned once, was one of the most brave and amazing woman of the Bible, simply because she had Believed, she had given her soul, heart and life over to Jesus, to lead her on the path preordained for her. Damaris went home pondering what Ms. Dover had said, and as she lay in her bed that night she finally realized what Ms. Dover had meant. And she suddenly felt the Holy Spirit enter her and save her where she lay. With tears of joy she went to sleep with the understanding of the verse and the love of her Saviour in her heart.
A Woman Named Damaris is one of my favorite books simply because of the way J.O. described Acts 17:34, Damaris was only mentioned once is a very small verse in the entire Bible, but the context and what she did in that verse told us everything we needed to know about her. That she had been open and brave enough to let the Holy Spirit guide her for all eternity. This book is one I would recommend to all girls, old and young. And I hope that you would see the same message in it as I did :)
The next morning she sat at her machine alongside Ms. Dover and tried not to mention the passage, but later, before she could leave Ms. Dover asked her if she had read the it. Damaris answered that she had, but didn't understand it, and expressed her disappointment. Her eyes glowing Ms. Dover exclaimed, that it was 'one of my favorite verses' Damaris not understanding asked why. Ms. Dover answered, saying that the Damaris of the Bible, though only mentioned once, was one of the most brave and amazing woman of the Bible, simply because she had Believed, she had given her soul, heart and life over to Jesus, to lead her on the path preordained for her. Damaris went home pondering what Ms. Dover had said, and as she lay in her bed that night she finally realized what Ms. Dover had meant. And she suddenly felt the Holy Spirit enter her and save her where she lay. With tears of joy she went to sleep with the understanding of the verse and the love of her Saviour in her heart.
A Woman Named Damaris is one of my favorite books simply because of the way J.O. described Acts 17:34, Damaris was only mentioned once is a very small verse in the entire Bible, but the context and what she did in that verse told us everything we needed to know about her. That she had been open and brave enough to let the Holy Spirit guide her for all eternity. This book is one I would recommend to all girls, old and young. And I hope that you would see the same message in it as I did :)
Awesome!
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