BY COURTNEY LIN WILDER ‧ RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2020
This is more than what meets the eye. The making of a Saint is not an easy journey as most of us might think. But rather, a series of loss, grief, and agony – almost feels like a punishment.
There is no strong man ever made with calm waves. Each of us has a role to play; some have it just fine whilst others are having a hard time, but one thing is for sure – God does not abandon us.
Today, we draw inspiration from a man who lost everything, had shed tears, and almost lost his life too, but never questioned his God. With Lin Wilder’s genius on the side of literary works, prepare to get your heart broken as you read this moving novel.
Saul was from a loving family of a wealthy merchant of goat herders. As being the youngest and the only son, he was spoiled with so much love and attention, especially from his father. Saul was after all the one that is, “asked or prayed for.”
Throughout the course of Saul’s childhood, he was raised in a strict religious family. And at a young age, he was already educated in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew by a private tutor. When he was twelve, he was one of the few children to actually study at the Temples of Jerusalem under Rabbi Gamaliel. With that six years of study, he graduated with excellence. Back at Tarsus, he married his long-time lover who was with him from the beginning, Hannah. Not only did his life was smooth with a beautiful and loving wife, but the couple was also blessed with a healthy son and his father’s business had quadrupled.
At this point in Saul’s life, he just couldn’t ask for more. And this is where Lin Wilder dropped the grenade of Saul’s ultimate test of his faith. Saul lost everything in just a day. His pregnant wife and their son David, his father, and Hannah’s parents all painfully died after a strong earthquake hit Cilicia. He lived while everyone dears to him had ceased to see the sun again.
It was a heartbreaking experience as St. Paul recounted that scene of his life at Mamertine prison with Aurelius. All Saul could do was weep. But never did he question his God, instead he recites a passage of Job’s life from his Rabban Gamaliel’s class, “Should we only accept good from God, and not accept evil?”
Saul had stumbled on his path and even persecuted Jesus and his followers out of Jerusalem because he believed it was his mission to cast out all the false Messiah and those who committed blasphemy and heresy to the Lord. But he was wrong. Now being blinded on his way to Damascus, he finally believed and accepted Jesus as a savior in the form of a man.
Later, he was renewed and baptized by John at Ephesus as St. Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles. On the final days of his life at the Mamertine Prison, Rome, he greeted death with a smile on his face knowing he had fulfilled his duty to the Lord, and that he would finally be reunited with his family.
Today, St. Paul was known as the greatest Christian missionary ever lived.
Lin Wilder had just written a masterpiece that will leave you feeling empty after reading. Her creative mind and good plotting, and excellent character build-up speak loudly and is evident in this novel. Truly an achievement!
The book is available on Amazon. Buy your own copy now!
Pub Date: February 24, 2020
ASIN : B0855GVTBW
Page Count: 241
Publisher: Wilder Books
Review Posted Online: February 24, 2020
Writera Magazine Reviews Issue: May 27, 2021
Categories: Historical Fiction