History is a series of stories, and who doesn't love a good story? Written in the Past: Seeing God Throughout History will introduce the reader to people who lived before us and the issues they faced. Some of the characters are well known to us, but others are not. We can learn from their struggles and heartaches, as well as their victories.

Every event that is mentioned in the Bible, as well as the cases from secular history, involves real people just like us. As we read, we can put ourselves in their position. Would I be as faithful (or as unfaithful) as the person we are discussing? It's hard to guess, and even though these stories may be old, they continue to touch and motivate us as they remind us of God's unfailing love and providence.

When we are tempted to give up, to just sit down and stop trying, we would do well to recall the men and women of days past. As the apostle Paul reminds us in Romans, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope."