In Quietness & Trust : Lent Devotions from the Beatitudes

by Matt Searles

Early in his ministry, Jesus gave his followers a description of how he wants his people to live. Rather than seeking to ascend to God, Christian discipleship is a downward flourishing; a counter-cultural way of blessing.

These 40 devotions, with a daily reading and short reflection, will guide you through the beatitudes Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. This Easter, join Jesus on his path to the cross, and see that his way – though so different to the way of the world – leads to freedom, joy, and life.

Genres: Christian

125 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2025

Reviews

[Emma.catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely FANTASTIC book for the Lenten Season.

It is packed full of amazing resources, powerful messages and great music recommendations.

I highly recommend it for next years lead up to Easter 🙌🏼

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful to think about the Beatitudes, which are truly revolutionary. However, I found it a bit scattergun and not as strongly tied to the Passion narrative as I would have hoped for an Easter devotional.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Quietness & Trust: Matt Searles shares a guide to Lent through the lens of the Beatitudes.

With 40 short devotions, Searles invites readers to explore how Jesus calls us on a downward path and embrace the humility of the cross. Instead of ascending to God, we work our way down, and find an abundant and blessed life.


Slow and Steady

The book is divided into eight themed sections: The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, a hunger for righteousness, the merciful, seeing God, making peace, and persecuted because of righteousness.

Through short reflections, Searles offers a slow and steady walk through Scripture. He writes in a personal tone, offering insights and examples from his own life. I was most moved to read his words on examining our hearts. He says “The holiest saints are those with the softest hearts.” It made me long to be like Jesus.


Christian Discipleship

What makes this book unique is that there is an accompanying prayer and song for each devotion. For the music, Searles has curated a list with some of my favorite artists – and he includes some of his wonderful songs as well.

While written as a book for Lent, this is a book that can be beneficial throughout the year. The devotions will resonate as Christian discipleship stands in opposition to the ways of the world.


I received a media copy of In Quietness & Trust and this is my honest review.

[Tim Warke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections for lent - I suppose I should say I'm not a big 'fan' of Lent. I should qualify that - I'm not a fan of the pseudo-secularised self-help self-denial improvement projects that people often view Lent as. So perhaps as an over-reaction I have tended to ignore the concept of Lent. This year, I tried to do something different, to note the time of waiting, the build-up towards the cross and resurrection.

So, I didn't 'give up' anything. I don't subscribe to the temporary 'giving up' phenomenon. If something isn't helpful for us, then stopping for 40 days to prove ourselves isn't something I subscribe to. OK, so as you've probably gathered, I sought instead to have a daily specific time of reflection, reading and prayer to mark this anticipation of Easter.

As I find often with such reflections, they are variable. Some days they were more helpful. Certain themes 'landed' more with me. They are structured around the beatitudes, the way of Christ. And beyond even the value of the content of each day's reading, it was more that daily moment of pausing, reading, praying that was even more helpful.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed spending time in the Beatitudes in the run up to Easter; to see think on the upside-down nature of Jesus’ kingdom and the wonderful promises to those who seek Him and wait for Him. The appendix includes a very helpful selection of prayers and suggestion of daily readings from the Psalms, which I often used as some days I wanted a longer passage to meditate on. If I had to choose, I think I enjoyed more the set of devotions in Isaiah in Searles’ book ‘Comfort & Joy’, though I still recommend this book as a great set of devotions.

[Antony Billington · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have read through this book as a church community over the Lent (2025) period. It nicely coincided with a Sunday series we have been doing on the Sermon on the Mount. It’s felt like a good moment for us, with many of us reading the same devotions every day, and the book generated some helpful conversations among various smaller groups within the congregation.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of Lent devotions on the Beatitudes. Mostly helpful, but a few days seemed tangential to the theme. I also felt the last Beatitude became lost within the Holy Week emphasis. There could have been a different way to structure the 40 days which would have worked better.

[Laura Kirkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has helped me get back into a rhythm of daily devotionals after years of distraction and lack of motivation. It's simple yet thought provoking and as a busy mum, it only takes 5 or 10 minutes each day, which is ideal! Thanks Matt!

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it as a Lent devotional - perfect

[Rachel K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these Lent devotions in the run up to Easter. It would have been nice to have a devotion for Easter Sunday but I know that’s technically not Lent!