God Calling edited by A.J. Russell

God Calling

By “Two Listeners”
Edited by A. J. Russell

Offered here is a Twenty-sixth printing from May 1981 of God Calling, edited by A. J. Russell.

First published in the 1930s in England, God Calling emerged from the Oxford Group movement and quickly became one of the most beloved Christian devotionals of the twentieth century. Written anonymously by two women known only as “Two Listeners,” the book presents daily devotional readings framed as messages received during periods of quiet listening and prayer.

A. J. Russell—journalist, Oxford Group advocate, and author of For Sinners Only—edited the work and helped bring it to a wide international audience.

Structured as a daily devotional, God Calling offers short readings for each day of the year. The tone is intimate and reflective, emphasizing surrender, trust, divine guidance, and reliance upon God in everyday life.

Influence & Recovery History

Beyond its place in Christian devotional literature, God Calling held particular significance among early members of Alcoholics Anonymous. The book circulated widely in early A.A. circles and was known to have influenced Richmond Walker, author of Twenty-Four Hours a Day (1948). The format and spiritual tone of God Calling helped inspire the structure and devotional style of Walker’s daily meditation classic—one of the most widely read recovery devotionals of the twentieth century.

For collectors of recovery history and Oxford Group literature, this connection adds meaningful historical depth to the book’s significance.

“What man calls conversion is often only the discovery of the Great Friend.
What man calls religion is the knowledge of the Great Friend.
What man calls holiness is the imitation of the Great Friend.”

Edition Details

• God Calling

• Edited by A. J. Russell

• Twenty-sixth printing

• May 1981

• A SPIRE BOOK: Published by Jove Publications, Inc., for Fleming H. Revel Company by arrangement with Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc.

Condition

Very good condition.

• Paperback cover

• Covers clean with light, honest shelf wear

• Binding tight and solid

• Pages clean and bright

• No writing, underlining, or markings

• Page toning

Please review all photos carefully to assess condition.

Collector & Historical Significance

• Classic Oxford Group devotional

• Edited by A. J. Russell (For Sinners Only)

• Influential among early A.A. members

• Inspired the devotional style of Twenty-Four Hours a Day