Emily Darnell has written a gentle book which, though it encourages us to ‘do’ much, seeks to help us accomplish only one thing. Darnell wants to help believers abide in Christ, to spiritually and wholly commit ourselves and rest within Him. To this end, the book contains many helpful suggestions of ways to read, journal, meditate and retreat with a focus on God’s word.

Written from a desire to help readers enjoy and dwell more on the things of God, Darnell’s book is split into fifteen short chapters that each take a different theme relevant to the topic of abiding in Christ. Particular highlights for this reviewer included Chapter 4 on Psalm 119 and Chapter 5 on ‘Refuge and Dwelling Place,’ both encouraging us to lean on our God, through His word, for our restoration and security.

The book seeks to simply encourage believers that we need nothing more that our Saviour and His riches. Darnell wants to encourage us to come again and again to the streams of living water that He provides. At times, Darnell is over-eager in this aim, cramming perhaps too much into some sections of the book. But overall, this is a helpful book of meditations, designed to help the soul rest once more in the Saviour, and full of practical advice to continue the discipline of spiritual meditation in our own lives.

Available to purchase from Mound Books.

Edward Creedy, Eden Baptist Church, Cambridge