Today I completed the last day of this devotional journal — and I have greatly enjoyed the journey! It is compiled both from J. I. Packer’s book Knowing God and the book he co-wrote with Carolyn Nystrom titled Never Beyond Hope.
Features I especially liked:
- The devotional is set up in six-day sections so that there is one day off — either to meditate on the week’s devotions further or to catch up if you missed a day during the week.
- A Scripture verse at the top of each day’s devotion drives the focus for the daily devotionals and reflective responses.
- J. I. Packer’s comments on biblical truths help you to understand the Scripture in a deeper way. Hymns and quotes from other authors are also included in the devotional section.
- The bottom half of each devotional page is for journaling. There is a prayer, study, or reflection prompt for each day. Sometimes it gets you to dig deeper into the Scriptural truths in a study sort of way; other times it prompts you to respond to the truths in reflective prayer. I love how it gives you specific ways to apply the Scripture to your daily life and your current circumstances.
- I think my favorite part was seeing how the themes about God’s character flow through the book from day-to-day and week-to-week. I didn’t realize it at first, but each day builds on the days before. After a while I began to see how the devotional was helping me meditate on these themes over a long period of time, which deepened my understanding and allowed the truths to sink in.
If you’re looking for a devotional that will deepen your knowledge and relationship with God, I would highly recommend this one!