Experiencing God's Presence

Jesus Calling Bible Studies

by Sarah Young, Karen Lee-Thorp (Contributor)

After many years of writing in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to be more attentive to the Savior’s voice and listen for what He was saying to her. The result was Jesus Calling, a collection of personal reflections based on Jesus’ own words of hope, guidance, and peace found in the Scriptures. Through these messages, countless people have been encouraged to experience a deeper relationship with the Lord as they also learn to listen for His voice in the pages of the Bible.

In Experiencing God’s Presence, the first study in the Jesus Calling Bible Study Series, you will be encouraged to lay down your cares and just spend time each day with your heavenly Father. As you follow the Lord’s instruction to “be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), you will encounter His peace, be filled with His strength, gain a new perspective on your situation, and experience the full life that only He can provide.

 

Each of the Jesus Calling Bible Studies include devotional readings from Jesus Calling, selected passages of Scripture for reflection, Bible Study questions, and additional questions and activities to help you apply and live out the material. This study can be used for personal reflection and Bible study or in a small-group setting.

Genres: God, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Devotional

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Sarah Young’s devotional writings are personal reflections from her daily quiet time of Bible reading, praying, and writing in prayer journals.

With sales of more than 30 million books worldwide, Jesus Calling® has appeared on all major bestseller lists. Sarah’s writings include Jesus Calling®, Jesus Listens, Jesus Always, Jesus Today™, Jesus Lives™, Dear Jesus, Jesus Calling® for Little Ones, Jesus Calling® Bible Storybook, Jesus Calling®: 365 Devotions for Kids, and more.

Sarah and her husband were missionaries in Japan and Australia for many years. They currently live in the United States.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read a number of Sarah Young's Jesus Calling books I was keen to see how she took that material to studying the Word. This is an 8-week study that can be used in a group and/or individually. Each week has a different theme centred on Jesus' presence which is a key subject in a lot of Sarah's writings.

Each week starts with considering a topic that impacts the theme for the week. So, for example, God's Presence Brings You Peace is one week's theme. The topic of consideration involves anxiety and what robs you of peace. There are a handful of questions to stimulate thought on what robs you of peace. She then uses 2 passages from Jesus Calling to illustrate how the Lord's Presence enables you to receive peace. Then there is a passage of Scripture that you meditate upon. In this example, it's when the disciples fear for their safety on the boat as Jesus sleeps below. The authors encourage you to step into the story so you imagine what it would be like. There are a series of questions for reflection and meditation.

During the course of the next 5 days of that week there is a short passage for each day and 3-4 questions for reflection based around the theme for the week.

I appreciated how each week was set out. The Jesus Calling material was only used as an accompaniment to the verses of Scripture. But what was most appealing about this study were the provocative and challenging questions. They really made you reflect on both the Word and your own situation. I definitely felt a greater sense of Jesus' presence as I worked through each day's activity.

The book comes with a set of notes for a leader so it's all set out for a group study and I expect it would be a great exercise to do it this way.

Definitely recommended.

[Rebecca Pappas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her books and this one brings you deeper into the word.

[Linda C SMITH · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Bible study group did this study, thinking that we would continue along with the five other books. Unfortunately, we got bored (as well as disappointed) with the book. It didn't follow the 'Jesus Calling' book like we expected and jumped from one passage to another in a different part of the book. There was far too much self-analysis and not as much study as we wanted and needed. This just might be the perfect thing for others. It just didn't work for us.

[Nicole Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like how the author had paragraphs that was as if God was talking to us but was not scripture.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this bible study. It taught me a new way to look at bible stories and passages. I would recommend this book to others.