This is the most beautiful devotional I’ve ever held in my hands! And I’ve read a lot of books. I love the feel of them. The smell. Everything. Maybe I’m a bit weird that way, I don’t know.
Embraced: 100 Devotions to Know God Is Holding You Close
And as usual,Terkeurst’s writing is easy to read and relatable. I’ve always loved how she can tell an honest story and bring a message of biblical truth alive in my heart.
This 100 day devotional is 322 pages and has 4 parts:
- Embracing the Pursuit of Him and His Direction
- Embracing the Fullness Found Only in Him
- Embracing Him in the Midst of Hurt and Heartbreak
- Embracing His Call to Be Transformed
Each devotion begins with a scripture and ends with a prayer.
I loved day 9 about feeling overlooked and unappreciated.
“Sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling a little grumpy. Time to do it all again. I’ll buy food that gets eaten. I’ll wash clothes that get dirty again. I’ll sweep floors that will somehow need to be swept again before the day is even done.”
She compares how David was refined by working in the fields and tending to his flock before he became king, and in the same way, our daily tasks refine us.
“In the midst of smelly laundry, dirty dishes, snotty noses, misplaced keys, overdue library books, bills, and that birthday gift that still needs to be mailed—there is training. There is character building. There is attitude shaping. There is soul defining. All of which must take place for us to become what God intends. We aren’t just doing tasks. We are building a legacy.”
I loved day 54 What I Never Noticed About Jesus. She decides to read the miracles of Christ and focuses in on the uncommon sentences in between the actual miracles. These scriptures describe the messy realities of life in the middle of the miracles—Jesus had people laugh at him, reject him and misunderstand him.
Life is messy. And it’s easy to focus on the mess and miss the miracle.
“Oh Lord, please don’t let the messes of life harden my heart and blind me to Your presence.”
There’s a topical index in the back of the book where you can look up devotions about anxiety, criticism, heartbreak, insecurity, loneliness and much more.
“We must process our hurts through the filter of God’s love, not through the tangled places of our hearts.”
I think this is one of my favorite devotionals and I highly recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book from booklookbloggers in exchange for my honest review.
Hello! I’m Valerie, a busy mother
of four energetic children and
a wife to my husband of 26
years. I write to help others have courageous faith and discover how to trust in God when they are afraid. 
I do love a book that is beautiful both on the outside and the inside! Thanks for sharing about this devotional, Valerie. Maybe I need to look into getting it myself!
Thank you for visiting Lisa.
Hi, I just discovered your blog through the link up. I really enjoyed your post. Hope to read more reviews from you soon 🙂
Thank you so much. I love doing reviews!
Thank you for the book review. I love that you included a few of your favorites. I too love the way a book feels in my hand. Looks like this one need to find its way to into my hands. Thank you for sharing with Grace & Truth Link-Up. Maree Dee
Let me know how you like it Maree.
Yep, that settles it, I’m getting this one in real life. A Kindle edition just won’t do. 🙂 Thanks for the great review, Valerie!
That’s great Carlie.
I feel the same way about books!
Do you smell books too? Ha! I wonder how many other people feel the same way about books. Maybe I should take a poll.
Valerie, I like how a book feels, looks, and smells too! This sounds like a winner.
Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one!