Trusting God for Everything--Psalm 23: A Personal Retreat Guide

by Jan Johnson

You're packing for a weekend retreat, just to be alone with God. What outstanding retreat guide could you take to help you grow closer to God? Trusting God in Everything is ideal for a one- or three-day personal or group retreats.

• 7 self-contained sessions

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Jan Johnson is an author (20 books), speaker, college prof and spiritual director. She lives in Simi Valley, CA.

Reviews

[Tim Knight]

This is an excellent book/guide for a private retreat all based on Psalm 23. That favorite text comes alive in rich ways through these exercises

[Abbie Riddle]

I absolutely loved this book. It was a discipline to set aside very quiet, undivided time to do this book (with five kids in the house). However, the benefits were amazing. This book is meant for a spiritual retreat, but this was not an option for me. Instead I set aside time for uninterrupted silence. In this time a I did the studies. To be honest at times I had to review the last one, because I felt that there was more to glean from the study. It is set up with a portion of the 23rd Psalm and then guided questions and other scriptures to help the reader think more about the significance of the section of the scriptures. I especially liked the questions because they made me stop and really think on the motives and deep parts of my heart. I spent much time turning more over to God - things until this study that I did not realize I still tried to hold on to or control. This book is a great study and I would recommend it to any person seeking a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. It is short enough to do on a weekend retreat or to break into mini sessions of retreat and reflection. It is one that you will want to read over and over again - it will certainly not be a dust collector after one read.

Thank you NavPress for this review copy.

[Fylvia Kline]

In the early pages of this book, Johnson differentiates the 23rd Psalm from the other psalms by calling it a “confidence” psalm—-While most psalms are prayers born out of despair or praise, this psalm looks at life from an objective distance. From this vantage point, the psalmist verbalizes the how and why behind the success of his life. The psalm is an acknowledgement of the psalmist’s confidence in the Power that fuels his life.

Based on this foundation of helpless man’s confidence in All Powerful God, the book is divided into seven sections called meditations rather than chapters. The meditation encourage the reader take some deliberate time out to plant oneself firmly in the protective, loving presence of God—-a presence that has all things in control, a presence that brings the reader confidence to face life and all its challenges.

What I especially liked about the book is Johnson’s use of various Bible versions to emphasize elements and subtle meanings evident in the psalm.