The Hand That Held Us
Four Hundred Years of Mercy to America
and the Truth About the Church That Carried It
A nation that sought God in trouble, forgot Him in comfort—and can still come home.
The Hand That Held Us traces four hundred years of American history—from Plymouth to the plague year—looking at moments of providence, revival, hardship, failure, and mercy. It tells both sides of the story: the faith that built hospitals, orphan homes, and schools, and the times when the nation and the church drifted from what they once believed.
Richly Illustrated in Full Color · 25 Chapters · Study Pages with Scripture, Summaries & Reflection Questions
Paperback · $49.99
Hardcover · $79.95
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER
See providence in American history
Explore remarkable moments when circumstances turned at just the right hour—from storms and fog to events that helped preserve a struggling people.
Follow four hundred years of the story
Travel from Plymouth through war, revival, national crisis, cultural change, and the plague year.
Remember the revivals
See how seasons of spiritual awakening shaped communities, churches, institutions, and the nation.
Face the failures honestly
Read the whole story—not only the faithfulness, but also the sins, compromises, and times when the church and nation drifted.
Discover the church that carried mercy
See the role Christians played in building hospitals, orphan homes, schools, missions, and ministries of compassion.
Study the story for yourself
Use the study pages for all twenty-five chapters, with Scripture, chapter summaries, and reflection questions for individuals, families, and churches.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
WHEN THE TROUBLE CAME, THEY SOUGHT HIM.
WHEN THE TROUBLE PASSED, THEY SLIPPED AWAY.
AND WHEN THE MERCY CAME, THEY STAYED.
ABOUT PASTOR TOM
Rev. Thomas Andrufski, known to many as Pastor Tom, has spent more than forty years preaching and teaching the Word of God. His interest in American history grows out of a desire to understand not only what happened, but how faith, revival, hardship, and mercy shaped the people who came before us.
In The Hand That Held Us, Pastor Tom brings together documented history, Scripture, and a pastor’s perspective to tell the story of an imperfect nation that repeatedly sought God in trouble, often forgot Him in comfort, yet continued to experience His mercy.
READ THE STORY OF THE HAND THAT HAS NEVER LET GO.
Four hundred years of faith, failure, revival, hardship, and mercy—and the God who remained faithful through it all.