Book Review: A Year With God, R.P. Nettelhorst

A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

This daily devotional book is self-described as   "a 365-day revelation of God's divine character through His actual words, along with reflections and insights to increase your understanding."  

The back cover proposes that the book will:

1) Examine Old Testament scripture within its cultural context.

2) Explain the meaning of what God is saying.

3) Reveal the application for our modern lives.

I was very excited to get this book and upon first perusal I noticed some things about the structure I instantly loved.  This book uses Old Testament scripture, which excluding the Psalms, is rarely found in many modern devotionals.  Also I really appreciated how it had blocks of scripture for each day instead of only one verse or a portion of a verse.  Looking at whole passages can help in understanding the context.  This is also useful when trying to understand a larger concept such as the character of God.  This book is divided into sections that allow the reader to carry on with a particular characteristic of God for several weeks, which would presumably help the reader build a more solid foundation of these aspects of God's nature with the various scriptures over time.

Upon reading each selection, however, I found myself underwhelmed.  Although most of the text space was used for explaining context, these explanations felt hesitant, diluted.  The reflections that would bring meaning and application were often reduced to a single sentence at the end.  This may have been a space issue, but it means that the conclusions were very general and rushed.

Because if this, I felt like the book did not fully live up to the purpose it intended.  However, it is an easy read and the brief conclusions are at least encouraging and uplifting.  I would recommend this book to someone who would simply like a supplement to their daily study or to someone who would like to read more of the OT and would find the pre-selected portions convenient.

I give this book 2.5 out of 5 inkspots.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”