Book Review: Wondrous Works of God

When I first saw an online retailer advertising Mighty Acts of God by Starr Meade a few years ago, I thought to myself, "Seriously! Do we really neeeeed another children's Bible? Why shouldn't we just read God's living and active Word to our children?" However, providentially, I came across one of these Bibles, and I have to say, "Mighty Acts of God is one of my favorite children's Bibles!!!" As a result I was extremely excited when Starr Meade authored a second Bible story book, Wondrous Works of God, to share even more of the Bible with young people. What makes these two volumes unique? Why would I urge every Christian parent to read these books to their children?

There is much to love about Wondrous Works of God and Mighty Acts of God. I love how Starr Meade consistently makes doctrinal concepts accessible to young people (and to me!). These Bible story books are clearly coming from the Reformed camp which makes them unique.  Children will read: that God created all things to show his glory (pg. 18), that "...the love between a husband and wife gives us a picture of the love Christ has for his Church" (pg. 19), what sin is, about God's character (He is merciful, gracious, holy, faithful, etc.), that God "sees every wicked thing done in secret" (pg. 22), and that "God's power and wisdom are so much greater than our own that we can trust him, even when what he does seems wrong to us" (pg. 25). Starr Meade explains what a covenant is, how Abraham was able to intercede for Lot, and how Christ intercedes for us. She also highlights doctrinal concepts like God's providence and sovereignty, perseverance of the saints, and the like. Clearly, Meade emphasizes God's character in a way that is unique among children's story Bibles.

Like several other Bible story books, Meade's Mighty Acts of God and Wondrous Works of God  keep the focus on the grand narrative of the  Redemptive story line of the Bible throughout both volumes. For example, in the account of Korah's rebellion, we read that "Sinners cannot approach a holy God without a priest to offer sacrifices to pay for their sin, and that priest must be the one God has appointed…" After reading about Aaron being God's chosen priest during the time of Moses, Meade writes about our Great High Priest: "The Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest appointed by God. The only way to God is through Christ" (pg. 59).

Wondrous Works of God and Mighty Acts of God aren't sanitized, dumbed-down story Bibles; they have depth!!! Starr Meade does not merely introduce our kids to good role models nor does she shy away from the truth of God's Word; she tells the hard stories! In each account, we learn something of God's character, something of our nature, and/or something about what God has done for us in Christ. We read about wicked Ahab, Jezebel, and Naboth and see that life in this world is not fair but that there will be a judgment day at which point every evil deed will be punished. We learn to count the cost of following Christ, and we are reminded that God promises His children a future far better than any that might be lost in this world. We read about Hosea and Gomer and learn about our unfaithfulness, God's love and grace, and the promised new covenant. Again and again, we see that God carries out His purposes for His glory because He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. A moralistic story Bible holds out no hope for our shortcomings. However, this is NOT what you will find here. Starr Meade is honest about God's holiness, our sin and need of a Savior, and about Christ. She shows her reader a great God.

There is some overlap between Mighty Acts of God and Wondrous Works of God, allowing them to stand alone or to be used as a complement to one another. Some topics, such as the Passover, are mentioned briefly in Mighty Acts of God (essentially Volume 1), but are covered more thoroughly in Wondrous Works of God (and vice versa). In this example of the Passover, Starr Meade does an excellent job showing how the Passover points forward to Christ in a way that would not have been immediately obvious to a child reading the account in Exodus with no additional commentary.

The Publisher recommends these books for children, ages 4-10. My four-year-old has a rather short attention span and prefers the story-telling format of The Jesus Storybook Bible, however, my six and up crew really love Mighty Acts of God and Wondrous Works of God. Westminster Books and Amazon have lengthy samples which will give you an idea of what to expect from these excellent Bible story books. I like to have my kids begin reading from God's Word as soon as they are able, but I still read story Bibles to them because I think that the additional commentary is beneficial to aid their understanding, assist them as they make connections between passages and concepts, etc. Bible story books should never be a substitute for reading God's Word, however, I think they are valuable in helping our children comprehend Scripture more deeply. I love Meade's Mighty Acts of God and Wondrous Works of God for their unsurpassed theological depth.  It is such a joy to have such God-glorifying, Biblical resources available to aid young people in understanding God's character and work!!

*Many thanks to Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of Wondrous Works of God in exchange for my honest opinion! I've been enjoying Mighty Acts of God for quite some time now, and it is exciting to be able to expand the content! :)