David Brainerd

David Brainerd was born in Massachusetts in 1718. As a young man he studied for the ministry. He felt a call from God to serve as a missionary to the Indian tribes in what was then the wilderness area of Western Massachusetts. At that time, young men who desired to enter the ministry, apprenticed under a clergyman. In 1742 David was licensed to preach the Gospel, and was soon thereafter appointed as a missionary to the Indian tribes. He only lived five more years, dedicating his short life to preaching the Gospel to the Indians of Western Massachusetts.
He died Friday October 9, 1747 at 29 years of age.

I will begin a series of posts from David's diary. I believe that the book is a spiritual classic and should be read by every believer.

Here is an excerpt from his diary dated October 17, 1742

Lord's Day, October 17. Had a considerable sense of my helplessness and inability; saw that I must be dependent on God for all I want, and especially when I went to the place of public worship. I found I could not speak a word for God without His special help and assistance. I went into the assembly, trembling, as I frequently do, under a sense of insufficiency to do anything in the cause of God as I ought to do. But it pleased God to afford me much assistance, and there seemed to be a considerable effect on the hearers. In the evening, I felt a disposition to praise God for His goodness to me, that He had enabled me in some measure to be faithful. My soul rejoiced to think that I had thus performed the work of one day more, and was one day nearer my eternal and, I trust, heavenly home. Oh that I might be "faithful to the death, fulfilling as an hireling my day," till the shades of the evening of life shall free my soul from the toils of the day!.

This evening in secret prayer I felt exceeding solemn, and such longing desires after deliverance from sin and after conformity to God as melted my heart. Oh, I longed to be "delivered from this body of death"! I felt inward pleasing pain that I could not be conformed to God entirely, fully, and forever. I scarce ever preach without first being visited with inward conflicts and sore trials. Blessed be the Lord for these trials and distresses as they are blessed for my humbling.