Review: The One Year Book of Encouragement by Harold Myra

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Each one-page message begins with a quotation from a well known inspirational writer.  Then Myra discusses the quotation and applies it to our Christian lives.  A relevant prayer and Bible text complete each day’s devotional.  Since the topics do not depend on each other, devotionals can be read in any order.

Myra discovered these quotations during years of reading and now applies them clearly for busy people in the trenches of life. Some of the messages have been amazingly relevant to my life.  Of course, God can use anything to inspire us, but He has used this book more often than most.

I could linger for hours on each page.  I read about faith, prayer, trust, obedience, success, acceptance, and more from people such as C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Amy Carmichael, and many others.  Many of the messages were challenging, requiring prayer, repentance, and action. I found it very difficult to read the book quickly enough for this review; it made me feel like a person who was ‘hearing but not obeying.’  Finally I just skimmed the rest of the book in order to write the review.  I’m thankful to be able to re-read it more slowly now that the review is finished.

As can be expected from any compilation such as this, a few theological issues arise.  They are not significant enough to detract from the value of this book, though, and I think that most Christians would be blessed by reading it.  To see if it would benefit you, you can read the first few devotionals here.

Reminder:  Do not replace your Bible reading with this or any other devotional book.

Disclosure:  Tyndale House provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.