Must Read ~ New Devotional by David Powlison

In life, God blessed His people with the life and work of the late David Powlison. His writings and work through the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, especially as the long-term editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling, richly served us. Although in heaven now for a few years, through the work of his wife Nan, Ruth Castle, and Barbara Juliani, you can read and hear the voice of our dear friend every day of the year. A new daily devotional, Take Heart: Daily Devotions to Deepen Your Faith, captures a daily reflection from David’s writings, lectures, sermons, conference talks, interviews, journal articles, and books, along with added prayers and favorite hymns. Each day’s reading includes an encouraging text from the Bible, about a two hundred word reflection, and an italicized sentence or two to encourage you throughout your day to “take heart.”

Nan writes in the precious introduction of this devotional:

Now you can sit beside David with your coffee in hand, as I was privileged to do for forty-three years of our life together. And you can jump with him, as I did, into the living water of God’s Word, finding strength and courage in weakness and friendship and faith for the journey.

The remainder of the introduction is worth the price of the book.

As one who has in fact enjoyed quite a few cups of coffee with David over the years, I agree with Nan. Reading this is nothing less than pure joy. To sit, listen, enjoy a sip of coffee, and remember my friend’s ability to take you to the feet of Jesus, allowing you to reflect on the richness of God’s Word, and helping apply this in wisdom, I am deeply grateful. I feel like this book is a gift to us as part of God’s kindness.

You can get your copy of this devotional from Amazon at this link or from Westminster bookstore at this link.

Some Reflections…

As my professor, friend, and mentor, David Powlison’s wisdom and heart jump off the pages of this 366-day devotional. I can hear his nuances, voice inflection, and careful pauses as I read the daily reflections. As part of the trio of Paul Tripp, Ed Welch, and David Powlison, he helped take me from one level of understanding God, the Word, people, and wisdom to a completely different level. His prayers, some of which you can read in this devotional, help transform both my relationship with Christ and my prayer life. His careful consideration of God, people, and circumstances spills out on each page. David connects these things with the help of God’s Word providing us opportunities to consider our heart and our living. His ability to ask heart-searching questions one after another after another is surpassed by no one. All of this simply means, you will be blessed by taking a journey alongside him a verse selection and two hundred words at a time each day.

Here Are Small Samples from This Week…

Often we already know significant truth, but we don’t know it in a way that changes our lives. Discipleship does the hard work of kneading what is true into how we actually live. (October 12)

Your Savior is not surprised or put off by your hopeless feelings. He wants you to bring your despair to him and cry for help right now, in the middle of your darkness and pain. Throughout history God’s children have cried to him. He has helped them. (October 15)

But think about the fact that in the entire book of Psalms, the leading them is that God is our refuge in the midst of trouble. You could say that most of the Psalms are actually the antidote to what drives people addictively. (October 17)

Jesus is saying that your situation is significant but it is not determinative of the quality of your moral response. It’s what is inside you that determines how you will respond. (October 18)

One key to getting anger straight is to understand that when you are angry, you are doing something. Anger is not an “it.” Anger is not just one part of you. Anger does not “happen” to you. You do anger. (October 20)

To Learn More about David Powlison…

To learn more about the life and legacy of David Powlison, click here. These are my reflections related to his life and ministry.

What Others Are Saying…

My friend, David Powlison, had deep and abiding trust in the love, presence, power, promises, and grace of his Lord. David was a master at mining the life-giving and life-changing wisdom of God’s Word. As a seasoned counselor, David had a deep understanding of the hearts of people. Those things together make David a supremely qualified devotional guide. This devotional collection of David’s writings is a treasure. Get it and let your heart marinate in the gospel that sweetly flows from every page. – Paul David Tripp

We now have in this long-awaited book the most pristine gems of wisdom from David Powlison, perhaps the most renowned and respected biblical counselor of our age. Over the years, I have thrived on David’s writings, and I’m so glad he is now speaking to a new generation of readers through Take Heart. – Joni Eareckson Tada

The introduction from Nan is a gift in itself. Then you get to settle into David’s gentle and personal words about his personal God, each devotion being much more than mere education. Each one invites you to love God and respond to him. – Edward T. Welch

Whenever I had the privilege of speaking with my friend David Powlison, my faith was strengthened. Part of my sadness when David died was knowing that this side of heaven, I would never hear that voice again. Imagine my surprise and delight to learn that this daily devotional was being produced. Now I can hear from my friend again and be led afresh to the feet of our Savior. – Steve Viars

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