Audio only
The Hidden Smile of God
The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David BrainerdBy John PiperNarrated by Bob SouerLength3h 55m
About this audiobook
When Augustine handed over the leadership of his church in AD 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.
John Bunyan suffered long-term imprisonment, even when a simple promise to cease preaching would have freed him, and was moved to rely on God even more. William Cowper, despite month after month of debilitating depression, wrote poems that 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.
In this noteworthy Swans Are Not Silent book, John Piper invites you into the lives of Bunyan, Cowper, and 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.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.4 (1.7K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing
GenreBiography and Memoir, Spirituality and Religion
Length3 hrs 55 mins
Narrated byBob Souer
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateMay 28, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Series
More from John Piper
Filling Up the Afflictions of ChristJohn Piper2h 52m4.5 (1.2K)$15
Seeing Beauty and Saying BeautifullyJohn Piper4h 28m4.4 (776)$15
Contending for Our AllJohn Piper4h 8m4.3 (1.7K)$20
The Legacy of Sovereign JoyJohn Piper3h 38m4.5 (2K)$17 · $0.00
The Roots of EnduranceJohn Piper3h 56m4.4 (1.4K)$17
Send MeMarty Skovlund, Joe Kent8h 10m4.7 (1.6K)$26 · $0.00
John Muir: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth & Letters to a Friend (Annotated)John Muir10h 13m4.7 (1.1K)$1.99 · $0.00
Invisible StormJason Kander6h 48m4.7 (3.2K)$24 · $0.00
Forever BoyKate Swenson9h 27m4.7 (5K)$29 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m4.7 (4.8K)$29 · $0.00
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m4.6 (178K)$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m4.7 (2.5K)$40 · $0.00
Evidence Not SeenDarlene Deibler Rose11h 11m4.6 (11.9K)$29 · $0.00
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m4.7 (351)$20 · $0.00
Will You Love Me?Cathy Glass9h 5m4.6 (9.3K)$29 · $0.00
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m4.7 (343)$20 · $0.00
HostageEli Sharabi5h 25m4.6 (10.8K)$24 · $0.00
Finding MeViola Davis9h 15m4.6 (256.4K)$29 · $0.00
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m4.7 (384)$20 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m4.6 (6.5K)$26 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m4.6 (3.5K)$29 · $0.00
I Am The StormJanice Dean9h4.6 (1.5K)$8 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
Just as I AmCicely Tyson16h 8m4.6 (99K)$33 · $0.00
Unbroken Bonds of BattleJohnny Joey Jones8h 31m4.6 (2.6K)$8 · $0.00
A Little God Time for Women Morning & Evening DevotionalBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC15h 15m4.9 (1.2K)$10 · $0.00
Prayers from the Throne RoomBrian Simmons8h 55m4.9 (256)$10 · $0.00
31 Decrees of Blessing for Your LifePatricia King2h 38m4.8 (1.4K)$10 · $0.00
Loved BabySarah Philpott4h 51m4.8 (1.4K)$10 · $0.00
The QuranAllah23h 7m4.7 (136.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Secret of the RosaryLouis de Montfort6h 1m4.7 (16K)$2 · $0.00
The Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation and CommentaryAbdullah Yusuf Ali22h 16m4.7 (133K)$1 · $0.00
All of Grace (Annotated)Charles Spurgeon5h 1m4.7 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Steps to ChristEllen G. White3h 12m4.7 (13.8K)$2 · $0.00
The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Annotated)Joseph Smith13h 57m4.7 (575)$2 · $0.00
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God & Other Sermons (Annotated)Jonathan Edwards7h 51m4.7 (1.5K)$2 · $0.00
Swayam Ki AwaazPrem Rawat8h 34m4.7 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
Behind the BadgeAdam Davis10h 18m4.7 (2.7K)$10 · $0.00
The New Human Revolution, vol. 1Daisaku Ikeda7h 46m4.7 (669)$12 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m4.7 (4.8K)$29 · $0.00
Praying GraceDavid A. Holland3h 2m4.7 (658)$10 · $0.00
Evidence Not SeenDarlene Deibler Rose11h 11m4.6 (11.9K)$29 · $0.00
The Christ KeyChad Bird, Chad Bird7h 33m4.7 (592)$17.40 · $0.00
Your Body Already KnowsNidhi Pandya Bhanshali9h 7m4.7 (360)$16 · $0.00
The Complete WorksFlorence Scovel Shinn7h 59m4.6 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
You may also like
Master of ChangeBrad Stulberg6h 44m4.1 (3.1K)$24 · $0.00
Wise as Fu*kGary John Bishop4h 5m3.9 (3.2K)$7 · $0.00
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions & Death's Duel (Annotated)John Donne7h 45m4.3 (690)$2 · $0.00
Sacred Self-CareChanequa Walker-Barnes4h 34m4.5 (369)$20 · $0.00
Moral Letters to LuciliusLucius Annaeus Seneca25h 24m4.4 (67.9K)$2 · $0.00
The Consolation of PhilosophyAnicius Manlius Severinus Boethius6h 11m4.2 (27.5K)$1 · $0.00
Tears to TriumphMarianne Williamson6h 43m4.2 (2.4K)$24 · $0.00
Streams in the DesertCharles E. Cowman15h 51m4.5 (28.9K)$1 · $0.00
You Ought To Do a Story About MeTed Jackson10h 16m4.3 (538)$29 · $0.00
Love, Medicine and MiraclesBernie S. Siegel2h 50m4.3 (6.7K)$18 · $0.00
The Mental Toughness AdvantageDouglas Comstock2h 49m4.0 (2.1K)$15 · $0.00
Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on ItKamal Ravikant4h 6m4.0 (27.8K)$6 · $0.00
From Poverty to PowerJames Allen3h 56m4.1 (2.4K)$2.30 · $0.00
A Little God Time for WomenBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC8h 28m4.6 (2K)$10 · $0.00
The Self-Talk WorkoutRachel Goldsmith Turow PhD7h 14m4.2 (404)$17
365 Days of Prayer for WomenBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC6h 16m4.7 (3.5K)$10 · $0.00
29 GiftsCami Walker6h 28m3.9 (5.5K)$14 · $0.00
This Is Not How It EndsJehan Casinader6h 19m4.2 (417)$24 · $0.00
Read This or Die!Ray Edwards, Jeff Goins7h 6m$24 · $0.00
Prayers for Surviving DepressionKathryn James1h 46m4.4 (14)$6.90 · $0.00