Hinds' Feet on High Places

I first read this book in college and have introduced it to many, read the children's edition (BEAUTIFUL illustrations - a good devotional book) to my children and since read the complete version to them.

I cannot think of a more powerful allegory illustrating the Christian life. Though most people are familiar with Pilgrim's Progress, in my opinion, this book if even better.

The story is about a girl named "Much-Afraid" who lives in the "Valley of Humiliation". She has a crooked mouth and crooked feet. Though she belongs to the "Fearings" family, she loves the Shepherd with all of her heart and desires to be in His service. She longs to have "hind's feet" and "leap upon the high places" with Him. (see the Psalms for the quote) He tells her that she may have her request, but first He must place the seed of love in her heart - it looks like a thorn.

Her family has planned for her to marry her cousin, "Craven Fear", but "Much-Afraid" doesn't want to and her only way out is to go with the Shepherd.

To reach the High Places, the Shepherd gives "Much-Afraid" two unique companions to help her along the way. They are companions of every Christian who walks the pathway to follow Christ. You must read the book to find out who they are, but be ready for a surprise!

I love this book because it doesn't gloss over what our lives as Christians are like, the challenges we face, and a Biblical account of how we are to proceed - that following Christ means dying to self to live for Him. This is one of the most beautifully written accounts I have ever read.

Get a copy and read it. It will become one of your most treasured possessions. Then read the sequel, "Mountain of Spices" where "Much-Afraid", who has been given a new name, returns to the valley to show the love of the Shepherd to her family and friends.

TERIFFIC BOOKS!

Hind's Feet On High Places is a wonderful, beautiful allegory of God's love for each one of us. Although we face many trials along the Christian life, Jesus is always there and will always hear and help us when we cry to Him. He is especially close to the broken-hearted. We can always come to our Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, without any fear. Much-Afraid sought the Chief Shepherd early in the morning and late in the evening when her work was done. I believed she sang to Him all through the day too. This too, is our priviledge as children of God. I thank God for such an anointed writer as Hannah Hurnard. This is by far the most beautiful book that I've read. I will read and re-read this book for years to come. I have given it as a gift to friends. To all who long to live a life filled with nothing else but love for God, this is the book to read. And to all who feel that God has abandoned them and that there is no hope of reconciliation, this is the book that God will use to restore you. God bless you as you read it.

This book is like Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress only in that they are both allegories that give a wonderful overview and perspective of the Christian life. But Hinds Feet in High Places has much more heart, and I found it to stir the heart and soul in deep ways. It is the story of Much-Afraid leaving the Valley of Fear that she has always known, and embarking on a journey to become a new creation. The thing about this book is that it talks about the deepest longings and fears of our hearts in following God--following Him when we can't see ahead of us, when we feel like we're going in circles, when we feel like He is not taking us where we want to go, and how following Him can mean laying down the deepest desires of our hearts just because God asks us to, and we know Him to be good and loving. I enjoyed this book immensely, and found it both challenging and filled with grace; which is a rare find in Christian books which often offer only one or the other. All in all this is a love story between Much Afraid and her God; a God who calls her to a path that is filled with sorrow and suffering that take her to a deeper place of dependence on him, and also a God who is there the instant she calls for Him. This is a book that I will probably read every couple of years, as I am at different places in my own journey, and will always see something new that I didn't see before. It is well worth investing in.

"This is the story of how Much-Afraid escaped from her fearing relatives and went with the Shephard to the High Places where 'love casteth out fear.'" This is probably by far the best book I have ever read. It has helped me so much in hard times and grief and has helped me so much in obtaining the peace that is only available through Jesus Christ. In the the book the main character Much-Afraid is given a chance to got to the High Places, a place where all of the people in the Valley of Humiliation (where she lives) long to be. However, before she goes there she must travel through places such as the Desert, the Shores of Loneliness, the Valley of Loss, and the Great Precipice Injury. On her journey she is accompanied by her two companions Sorrow and Suffering and is always being attacked by her relatives named Pride, Bitterness, and worst of all Craven Fear. In each part of her journey learnig a key lesson. All people who read this I implore you to read this book. It was probably the most influential book I have ever read and could very well lead you to the happiness that I am now enduring in my journey... the happiness that can only be achieved in our Lord and Savior-Jesus Christ.

Hannah Hurnard's "Hinds' Feet on High Places" is a family classic. We read it after dinner for months, two pages per night, with our pre-teen children always pleading "read another page!" Hurnard writes with elegance and interest, telling a parable or allegory of Christ shepherding a terrified child on the journey of faith. Her encounter with her two guides, "Suffering and Trials" and Christ's explanation of their purpose in her life, teaching a life lesson every person, regardless of age, must learn.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."