Latest Christian book review by Brian Scott

When I saw Him by Roy Hession 1975. Paperback 87 pages

This is a classic which is still in print almost 40 years after being written. It is not unusual to meet strong Christians today who were greatly influenced through the late Roy Hession's evangelistic ministry and this will come as no surprise to anyone reading this small book. He presents helpful and practical insights into the effect of seeing the Lord on four important Bible characters: Isaiah, Paul, the Disciples and Joshua. For instance, in describing Isaiah's vision in the temple (Isaiah chapter 6) he draws attention to Isaiah's vital conviction of sin:

In Isaiah's early years he frequently pronounced woes on others: 'Woe unto you that do this ... Woe unto you who do the other'. Truly his message is important, but there is no woe pronounced on himself. It is not until chapter 6, when he sees the Lord high and lifted up, that he says, 'Woe is me! For I am undone .. mine eyes have seen the King'. All those years he had been working not only without vision but without a broken spirit, pointing the finger at others , condemning others, but not seeing himself. We can be doing the same, criticizing others, pronouncing woes on others, without having been humbled to say, 'Woe is me! For I am undone' - and that because we have not seen what Isaiah saw. As a result revival has not yet begun in our hearts, for the Lord is only near those of a broken and contrite spirit, 'to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of contrite ones' (Isaiah 57,15).

 
This and the other accounts have great application for our lives as we seek to better worship and serve our Lord in humility and love. Set out in six short chapters it is very readable and highly recommended.

Brian Scott