I’ve been disappointed by devotional literature more times than I can recall. The whole lot of it seems too mushy and theologically ungrounded. Then I found Marva Dawn.

The concept underlying this book is simple: Dawn wrote a four or five page devotion on each of the 31 verses of Isaiah 40. The execution, however, was profound. Dawn used her knowledge of Hebrew to bring out a number of subtle nuances that English readers would miss. She paired this with honest personal experience to create a devotional that is both poignant and theologically intelligent.

This is the first devotional work I’ve read one chapter at a time. You need to meditate on each verse as you work your way through.

To Walk and Not Faint rises above the mediocrity in the genre today.

Dawn, Marva. To Walk and Not Faint: A Month of Meditations on Isaiah 40. 2nd ed., Eerdmans, 1997.