Best-selling author Beth Moore addresses these practical and pervasive matters in Whispers of Hope by walking readers through an easy to remember and apply method of prayer, coupled with seventy daily devotionals and followed by prompts to put this prayer method into practice.
Indeed, Whispers of Hope teaches the manifestation process of powerful Word-saturated prayer in response to a daily Bible reading. In turn, you will better understand how devotional reading and prayer are central to a stronger relationship with God.
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As 2013 is coming to a close, many are beginning to consider New Year’s resolutions for January 2014. Common goals for the year include weight loss, quitting smoking, improved physical fitness and debt reduction. For many Christians, there are resolutions to read the Bible through in a year, or commitments to daily devotional time with God. If the latter resolution is one that you are considering, author and speaker Beth Moore may have a tool that can provide a great platform for you. Whispers of Hope is her latest title, now available from B&H Publishing Group.
Whispers of Hope is part devotional book, part journal. It is designed to be used for 70 days, with detailed instructions that cover the main steps in using the devotional each day. They include:
• Reading a short passage of scripture
• Noting the specific scripture verse for the day
• A one-page devotional with thoughts from Beth Moore
• Following the 7-step prayer guide, writing in the journaling section following each devotional
• Recording answers to prayer in the Answer Log portion of the book
The format that Beth presents in Whispers of Hope is a practical way to approach a daily time with God. The devotional and 7-step prayer guide provide a framework to use for guidance during this time of spiritual communication and refreshment. At the same time, the open journaling sections allow for freedom of thought and personal inspiration. The materials used for this edition are also quite attractive. The paper stock is soft and deckle-edged, and the cover has an extra flap which could be used as a bookmark.
Beth's one-page devotionals are her greatest contribution to Whispers of Hope. In these modest essays, her characteristic tone truly shines through. She exudes the wisdom of a mature Christian woman,challenging us to pursue God's will in our lives and to not remain infant Christians. At the same time, her down-home Texas charm and humor make her work accessible for all readers.
Sharing an episode from her past, Beth encourages her readers to not remain grow in their walk with Christ, to not be afraid to move to a deeper faith:
“To imagine why Christians remain infants isn’t too difficult. When I was little, I hated promotion Sunday at church. I was comfortable in my class…Once a beloved teacher explained promotion…’I used to feel just like you. I never wanted to leave my teacher or my classroom. Then I thought how silly I would look one day all grown-up in one of these little bitty chairs.’ She was a beautifully round lady who…squatted down on one of the tiny chairs. The legs gave way as she toppled to the floor. It worked. They laughed and the fear dissipated.” (Day 52, pg. 160)I only found one area that could be improved. There are only two pages available in the Answer Log to document God’s responses to our prayers. I found this surprising. Over 100 pages are reserved for our input, but there are only two set aside for His responses in our lives? Surely we would have more than two pages’ worth of content to record. That is my hope for Whispers of Hope, in any case.
If God has seemed distant to you lately, one of the best ways to remedy that feeling of alienation is to dive into his Word and spend time in prayer. James 4:8 tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” There are many reading plans and tools that we can use to do that with scripture and prayer. Beth Moore’s Whispers of Hope is an excellent platform for this, one that I would recommend as many of us consider our goals for the New Year. Improving our physical health is a worthy resolution for 2014, but growing in our walk with Christ is even better.
New Year's Giveaway!
If you'd like to start off 2014 with Beth Moore's devotional, enter to win a copy through the Rafflecopter widget below. This one's going to be a short giveaway period, as the winner may want to get started with the devotional as soon as possible in January. Here are the contest guidelines:
- The contest period ends at 12:01am EST on Friday, December 27th.
- Giveaway open to those offering U.S. domestic mailing addresses.
- Make sure you leave your email address in the one required portion of the Rafflecopter form. Should you win, I will contact you on Friday, the 27th. Please take measures to ensure that my email will make it past your spam filters, lest you miss my message (CalicoCritic@gmail.com). You'll have 72 hours to respond before I pick another winner.
- All entries must go through the Rafflecopter form. If you leave an optional blog post comment, in order for it to count toward your contest entry, be sure to indicate that you commented through the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" button on the Rafflecopter form.
- Entries will be verified. If a fraudulent entry is detected for the winning name, another winner will be drawn.
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