Holley Gerth offers an uplifting look at who God is and how much He loves us in “Hope Your Heart Needs.”
With 52 very short chapters, each beginning with a verse and ending with a prayer, Gerth reveals 52 different names and characteristics of God, all reminding us of God’s attributes and His deep love for us.
Again and again she reminds us that we are not alone and that we are God’s masterpiece. But she also easily manages to portray God as not just this lofty, unreachable deity, but as a very real god who became like man. She reminds us that Jesus hurt and ached and smiled and laughed while on Earth, facing the same struggles that we each face.
Gerth is a beautifully descriptive writer (“He spoke the world into being as the light-bringer, star-scatterer, and breather of life into the first man’s lungs.”) But she is also a very conversational writer, like she’s talking to you over a nice cup of tea. I also enjoy how relatable she is, often being very real and honest about her own flaws and struggles.
Ultimately, this book shows us that we can always go to God. He will never turn away from us.
“Hope Your Heart Needs” could be used as a daily devotional, reading one characteristic per day, or read straight through as a giant lump of love and encouragement.
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.