Book Review – Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
One Year Daily Devotional connecting with God’s Peaceful Presence
Wanting to capture a sense of the peaceful and empowering presence of God, missionary Sarah Young dedicated prayer time to actively seeking God’s presence in her life. With pen in hand, she listened as he guided her. In her one year devotional Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson, 2004), Young presents an intimate conversation with God where he invites her, and the readers of this devotional, to come closer and experience the peace of His presence.
Jesus Calling Devotional
Following a calendar year, this one page per day devotional offers Christians an invitation to move into a closer relationship with Christ. Young has chosen to write her entries in the first person, with “I”, “Me” and “Mine” etc referring to Christ and “You” referring to the reader. This creates a very intimate atmosphere, helping readers to focus their prayer and reflection on God rather than feeling connected with the author.
Each dated entry features two paragraphs of encouragement followed by 2 – 3 Bible references. The verses themselves are not included, so readers would need to have their own Bible on hand.
The inviting tone of the “conversation” with Christ followed by the scripture references encourages readers to take the thought for each day as a starting point for deeper reflection as they move from the devotional to the listed Bible verses. In her introduction, Young makes a point of saying that despite the first person style of the devotional, only the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and her writings should always be held up against this consistent and unchanging standard.
A Simple Devotional Focussing on God’s Peaceful Presence
In the midst of the turmoil of everyday life, Jesus Calling invites readers to make a conscious choice to set aside time for quiet prayer and reflection. The devotions encourage readers to put aside their anxieties and concerns, trusting in God and putting their faith in Him and not their own abilities. The devotions offer readers an opportunity to renew their emotional and spiritual strength as they focus on connecting with God in a more intimate way.
The central themes of the 365-day devotional are faith, trust and the reassurance that each life has a God-ordained purpose. The tone of the entries is very calming and reassuring, acknowledging the difficulties and trials of everyday life but asking readers to look beyond their circumstances to seek God’s presence.
Sarah Young
Sarah Young has a degree in philosophy from Wellesley and holds graduate degrees in psychology/counselling from Tufts, Georgia State, and Covenant Seminary. She has travelled extensively with her husband and children, counselling and planting churches in Japan and Australia.
Experiencing the Calming Presence of God
Sarah Young invites readers to join her as she actively seeks to converse with God and experience His calming presence in her life. With the strong emphasis on setting aside worries, this devotional would be an ideal gift for someone currently experiencing a period of particular anxiety due to illness or relationship difficulties or other stressful situations.
The compact format of the devotional makes it suitable for those who travel or find it easiest to set aside time for reflective prayer outside of the home. Unfortunately this also limits the space available for notes and readers might like to keep a separate journal to record their own prayers and thoughts. As mentioned earlier, Bible references only are provided.
With a gentle, encouraging, warm tone, Jesus Calling invites readers to set aside their concerns and step into a warm, welcoming relationship with God to experience His calming presence.
Jesus Calling (ISBN: 978-1-5914-5188-4, 382 pages)
Jesus Calling Devotional by Sarah Young
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