Shade of His Hand

by Oswald Chambers

Part of the Oswald Chambers Library. Oswald Chambers was the son of a Scottish Baptist pastor and was converted under the ministry of Charles H. Spurgeon. Following formal theological training in Scotland, he traveled throughout the United Kingdom, the Far East, and the United States, lecturing on the Scriptures.

Genres: Christian Living, Faith

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Oswald Chambers was born to devout parents in Aberdeen, Scotland. At age 16, Oswald Chambers was baptized and became a member of Rye Lane Baptist Chapel. Even as a teenager, Chambers was noted for his deep spirituality, and he participated in the evangelization of poor occupants of local lodging houses. Oswald married Gertrude in May 1910, and on May 24, 1913, Gertrude gave birth to their only child, Kathleen. In 1915, a year after the outbreak of World War I, Chambers was accepted as a YMCA chaplain. He was assigned to Zeitoun, Cairo, Egypt, where he ministered to Australian and New Zealand troops, who later participated in the Battle of Gallipoli. Soon his wooden-framed "hut" was packed with hundreds of soldiers listening attentively to his messages. Confronted by a soldier who said, "I can't stand religious people," Chambers replied, "Neither can I." Chambers was stricken with appendicitis on October 17, 1917 but resisted going to a hospital on the grounds that the beds would be needed by men wounded in the long-expected Third Battle of Gaza. On October 29th, a surgeon performed an emergency appendectomy, but Chambers died November 15, 1917 from a hemorrhage of the lungs. He was buried in Cairo with full military honors. Gertrude, for the remainder of her life published books and articles for him edited from the notes she had taken in shorthand from his sermons. Most successful of the thirty books was, "My Utmost for His Highest", which has never been out of print and has been translated into 39 languages.

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chambers' opening argument, and the theme for this entire book is that you can face life either rationally or practically. Rationalism is attempting to guide your own life based on philosophy and will...this pretty much sums up the humanist side of things. A practical life is much more fulfilling. The practical life is based on the assumption that God exists, and that the fallacies of our own judgment point to our need for God.

This was a very engaging (and very dense!) read. For being less than 200 pages long, this book left me with a lot to ponder over.

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best study guide of the book of Ecclesiastes I've ever read. It opened my eyes to the deeper meaning in the "simple" sayings I've read many times during my life, connecting the philosophies of many ancient cultures and revealing the differences of the Judeo/Christian worldview.

Knowing that it is the last study Chambers compiled before his death somehow gave his words greater impact. He became ill before he could write the final chapter, so a friend/colleague completed the book many years later.

Highly recommended, like all of Chambers's works.

[Steve Bilbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wake up Call

Book of Ecclesiastes brought me back to the Lord over 30 years ago as a wake up call. Shade of His Hand made me realize that I had just touched the surface of truths in the Book of Ecclesiastes all those years ago; what riches I have in His Kingdom.

[Yvonne Malague · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring

Oswald is genius- he is filled with the Spirit and has a way to make you want to know Jesus more and more.

[Светлана · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a realistic look at life through the lens of Ecclesiastes. It is insightful, though a little scattered in its observations (as are Ecclesiastes and Proverbs at times!) Chambers shows you that not everything in life can be explained or understood.

As is stated in the intro., I likewise felt that this book (like Ecclesiastes!) is best understood in light of the author's full range of works, works such as Christian Discipline.