Read September – October 2024
I’ve been knee deep in pre season Christmas movies and reading some of my ARCs. NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Gift, the publisher, have been so generous to let me read this devotional! It was published on 9/24 and the cover gives you a preview of how clean the images and layout of the inside are.
What is it about?
Lowe’s devotional is a pairing of devo and Bible study (sort of), focusing on achieving peace by fixing your focus on God. The setup is in a familiar cadence of daily reading, Bible verse, and prayer but there are a few aspects that allow it to stand apart from the other devotionals I’ve read. There are four sections, Identity + Insecurity, Wisdom + Humility, Capacity + Burnout, and Scarcity + Abundance, that set the theme for 10 days each. The start of each section has an introduction and a scripture that highlights the focus and tone.
The daily reading, usually an anecdote, is 3 pages with scripture weaved in, drawing the focus to God’s word, and ends with a prayer, a few verses, and points to additional reading in the Bible to expand on the topic. Lowe encourages the reader to actually read the Bible every day, take the approach of studying to get context, and open the line of communication with God by praying – she mentions that this can be something simple like, “God, thank you!” She is relatable, thorough, and makes the idea of setting your eyes on God feel easy.
What does it have?
- Christian Devotionals
- Extended Scripture References
- Thematic Prayers
- Aesthetically Appealing
Lowe points out in the introduction that we are usually looking down – down at our phones, a computer screen, even the ground when we’re walking. We’re so use to not looking up that the idea of setting our sights up to God can seem like a foreign concept now more than ever. She makes it clear that, similar to the Colossians that Paul wrote to, we aren’t looking for guidance in the right places and we should keep our head up toward God (unless we’re looking down reading the Bible of course bawhaha).
Is it worth reading?
This is one for the bookshelf and one I can see myself coming back to when I need to refocus. It’s a yes for me!
Nicolena Reads 
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