Review: "A Place of Quiet Rest"
For some time now I have been meaning to blog about recent books I have read and would recommend. I am always glad to hear of book recommendations from friends, and in the same way, I hope that some of you may find these posts helpful. Maybe you will be inspired and pick up some new books to read.
If you have read my blog regularly, you might recognize the name "Nancy Leigh DeMoss." I listen to her podcast, Revive Our Hearts, almost daily and believe whole-heartedly in her ministry. Nancy and Revive Our Hearts, in my opinion, are unequaled in their Biblical perspective of womanhood. Today, I just finished her book, A Place of Quiet Rest. In this book, Nancy tackles the topic of having a daily quiet time, or daily devotional time with God. She presents an overarching and in-depth view of this important spiritual discipline. Beginning of the book, she reminds us that time alone with God was a part of Jesus' daily life, and thus should also be a part of our day to day. From there she moves to a discussion of the multiple purposes of a daily devotional life, which is a refreshing reminder to prevent us from getting stuck in a purposeless routine.
One of my favorite chapters deals solely with the reasons we find it hard to cultivate a consistent time with God. After surveying a couple hundred women, Nancy deals with their most common reasons for not having a quiet time, most of which I identified with myself. It's always refreshing to see that there are others who share the same struggles you have, and yet be challenged on how to push through and gain victory in that area.
But by far, my favorite section of the book is one that focuses on the Word of God. From simply delighting in the great joy the Word of God is, to describing step-by-step how to study it, I greatly enjoyed this multi-faceted assessment of the Bible and the great importance that it has in our lives as follower of Christ. I believe that learning and studying the Bible is key to our growth, and so to see such focus on it in this book is so encouraging!
The purpose of the book is not to be a step-by-step how-to guide to a quiet time, but rather a "gentle nudge on every page, a pointing-in-the-right-direction in every chapter," as Joni Eareckson Tada wrote in the forward. It is a discussion on cultivating intimacy with God and an encouragement to make this a priority. Yet, at the same time, Nancy gives many great practical suggestions and guidelines that you can grab onto and implement immediately.
Most of all, I am grateful that this book left me without any excuse not to meet with God every day, even with a 1 month old. It was a refreshing reminder of the incredible privilege I have to fellowship with my Creator and the truth that everything else really can wait. If getting alone with God on a regular basis is a challenge for you, I hope you will pick up a copy of this book!
Next book on the horizon for me... " The Feminist Mistake" by Mary Kassian.