The Pastor’s Wife is the memoir of Sabina Wurmbrand the wife of Richard Wurmbrand and co-founder of Voice of the Martyrs, a charity that serves persecuted Christians. In the book, Sabina reflects on her coming to Christ as a Jewish woman, and the hardships she and Richard experienced when Romania was occupied by the Nazis and then the Soviet Communists.
Sabina shows incredible courage through persecution, torture and when separated from her family. Yet Sabina is fully human and we see her vulnerability. She struggles. She is tempted in her loneliness, but through Christ she endures. Jesus strengthens her through it all.
As someone who reads persecution stories and finds inspiration in them, I know that by doing so today’s believers can be strengthened. Sabina’s story is one that I found hard to put down. It was very well written. Often I felt like I was right there with Sabina in the midst of it all. At times her suffering and that of those around her was hard to take. However, it was also incredible to see the perseverance possible for those who know Jesus, and how He can use us to reach others even in the worst conditions.
The sufferings of the underground church and the people under soviet control helped spread the gospel to the most unlikely of people. In our own struggles, we can see that many people are hungry to know Jesus. Much like the Russian soldiers, the communist prison guards and surly prisoners, they just don’t know what they are seeking yet.
With Marxism trying to overtake western nations from within and the threat of Communism once more looming over the lives of millions of Christians, I believe that The Pastor’s Wife is a must read. I won’t give too much away, but the struggles and operations of the underground church in communist Romania are something to pay particular attention to. Such knowledge could come in handy in these coming days, though I pray it will not be necessary.
If you’re looking for a book, aside from the Bible, to encourage you during these dark times, try The Pastor’s Wife. You won’t regret it.
You can get your copy of The Pastor’s Wife on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or directly from The Voice of the Martyrs website.
If you’ve read The Pastor’s Wife, let me know what you thought below. I would also love any book recommendations you may have.