We don’t have to look very far to see pain, grief, brokenness, heartache, loneliness and despair. Whether in our own lives or the lives of those within our churches, families, workplaces or our friends, the darkness can often feel overwhelming. In the midst of those times we may know that we should be coming to God and yet in our brokenness we struggle to engage with him and his word. A Certain Brightness is a book of bitesize devotionals for those moments when trouble seems to reign, and the darkness seems closer than ever. 

With honesty about her own struggles with darkness and depression, her doubts about God, her fears and worries, Philippa points to Jesus as the certain brightness in the midst of our pain. Each devotional is based on a short truth about God from scripture: ‘His steadfast love endures forever’, ‘Joy comes with the morning’, ‘I will be with you’. While the devotionals are short (and therefore manageable for the weary and broken) they are deeply rooted in scripture and are full of the riches of God’s promises for his people, both now and for eternity, pointing to the glorious hope of the gospel. Each devotional ends with a prayer and a few lines from a hymn leaving you humming the truths you have just been reading about. 

Reading this was a balm to my soul and I know it’s a book I will keep coming back to in those moments of brokenness. It’s also a book I’ve been sharing with those I know are struggling, confident that these short devotionals will point them to Jesus ‘who is more than capable of plumbing [our] deepest depths and bringing hope there’.

I heartily recommend this book for you, and for those around you who are struggling. It will help you fix your eyes on Jesus in the darkest moments, and know the wonderful, sure, and certain brightness that is found in him. 

This book is available from Free Church Books.

Carrie Marlow, Free North Church, Inverness