The seven Mornings with Jesus writers reflect on their relationship with Jesus—how it grew and changed as they delved into Scripture and wrote the devotions for the book—and what they learned about Him.
Many of the Mornings with Jesus writers felt connected to the Old Testament as they researched passages for their devotions.
As Camy Tang was writing, she said that God seemed to be drawing her toward the Old Testament verses. “Writing the devotions,” she wrote, “made me realize that Jesus’ love for me is as fierce as the love of God for the Israelites in the Old Testament.” A book Keri Wyatt Kent wrote—about the Old Testament—right before writing for Mornings with Jesus changed Keri’s understanding of Jesus. “Writing that book really showed me how much of the Old Testament, even the laws, sacrifices, etc., all point to Jesus,” she said.
Erin Keeley Marshall, like Camy and Keri, also felt drawn to the Old Testament as she was writing. As she explains it, “Oftentimes that 2/3 of the Bible is pushed to the background, and God is seen as distant and angry throughout. It’s true that the New Testament is about the age of grace that Jesus ushered in. However, when we realize that way back in the first chapter of Genesis, God foretold his plan to send a Savior for us, we can look at the Old Testament story as one of supreme grace, mercy and love.”
Whether their emphasis was the Old or New Testament, all of the writers felt connected to the person of Jesus in all his different facets—as son of God, as Savior, as friend and lover of our souls. Sharon Hinck reflects, “I love finding the hints of Jesus woven throughout the Old Testament, as well as the direct experiences of those who walked with Him in the Gospels or described Him in the Epistles. I learned that Jesus has so many names and descriptions to encompass the many needs we have that He meets.”
Some of the writers were surprised by their writing process and how God led them to certain passages of Scripture. When Tricia Goyer first heard the title Mornings with Jesus, she thought the writers would be focusing on the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But as she says, “The more I started praying and digging into God’s Word, the more He reminded me that the whole Bible is about Christ. He was there from Genesis 1 as The Word and His message is on every page. The study of Christ is the best study because it reminds me I don’t need to learn about Him, He is with me at every moment. Our relationship continues to grow! I started out drawn by the New Testament … until Jesus reminded me to ‘look around’ and that He had more to share from His heart.”
All seven writers were drawn to reflect on the life of Jesus and the time He spent on earth. Gwen Ford Faulkenberry says it beautifully, “I wanted to walk with Him like one of the disciples, feel the dust on my feet, see the lines on His face. [Writing for Mornings with Jesus]was definitely an intimate experience.”
May spending your Mornings with Jesus bring that same intimacy to you, as well.
Rebecca Maker is the book editor and developer of Mornings with Jesus.
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