The Lord of the Ring   Uncovering the Secret Origins of Praying 24-7 Author:  Phil Anderson

 

The question The Lord of the Ring answers is not “Who was Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf?” but “How did Jesus Christ, the Lord of the ring which gives this book its title, manifest himself in the lives of Zinzendorf and those he influenced?”.

 

This book is the “first serious biography [of Zinzendorf] in the English language in at least 50 years,” according to Pete Greig, who wrote its forward. Unlike most biographies which focus on an individual’s achievements and accomplishments, The Lord of the Ring focuses on the affect of an individual’s life on the many individuals who were touched by his life.

 

Anderson describes Zinzendorf’s membership in a semi-secret prayer group known as the “Order of the Mustard Seed.” As with other anecdotes, this is not mentioned to imply that Zinzendorf is necessarily “holier than thou” but to say that through it he was able to influence kings, reformers, future pastors, students, and even a Native American chief whose people would soon experience the love and forgiveness of Christ.

 

This book would be a great addition to the library of anyone who enjoys stories of faith, adventure, suspense, and history. One such story from The Lord of the Ring has Zinzendorf traveling to the Caribbean to visit some missionary students he had not heard from in a long time. After finding them in prison due to the powerful influence of their ministry among a formerly unreached people group, Zinzendorf uses his own influence as a European Count not only to affect their release, but also the support of the local government in future mission work.

 

In the midst of these stories about storms at sea, revivals, and missions adventures set into motion by Zinzendorf’s faith, Anderson includes diary entries describing his own pilgrimage to Herrnhut and across Europe visiting significant places in Zinzendorf’s life. These too are stories of faith, adventure, and suspense because Anderson and his friend fly a single-engine plane through high mountains, low clouds, and bad weather trusting that their prayers for safety would not be in vain.

 

Anderson does not make Zinzendorf into a saint; he describes his errors as well, but they too are not the main point of the book. The main point is that throughout his life, Zinzendorf’s faith never wavers, despite several setbacks that would have stopped most people and because of this, we can trust that Zinzendorf and the other members of the “Order of the Mustard Seed” are among the great cloud of witnesses encouraging all Christians to “run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.”

 

Review contributed by Jon Toler. He is a member of First Christian Church in Elizabethton, Tennessee, who hopes that one day his faith will be strong enough to live as Zinzendorf did—unhindered by fear, unfettered by insecurity, and inspired by the Holy Spirit.