I Want My Words To Be a Catalyst for Heart Change: A Guest Post by Gretchen Saffles
Hardcover $24.99
Word before World: 100 Devotions to Put Jesus First
Word before World: 100 Devotions to Put Jesus First
In Stock Online
Hardcover $24.99
There’s no better place to recenter than the basics, and here you can do that, with meaningful devotions that help get your priorities in order, starting with Jesus.
There’s no better place to recenter than the basics, and here you can do that, with meaningful devotions that help get your priorities in order, starting with Jesus.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but imagine the infinite possibilities thousands of words possess to form an unforgettable image in the mind. When I began the arduous journey of writing Word before World: 100 Devotions to Put Jesus First, I aimed to create each devotion from a new vantage point, forming vivid mental pictures that connect God’s Word to everyday life. Ultimately, I want my words to be a catalyst for heart change. Words contain great power, capturing emotions and experiences like the click of a camera. My deepest desire is for this devotional to point women to the unchanging Word of God.
The idea for Word before World sparked out of frustration with my habit of saturating my mind with social media before I settled my soul in God’s Word. My thoughts were constantly frazzled, and my heart was perpetually discouraged. As I connected the dots to find the source of my unsettledness, a word picture formed that changed my life—I was putting the world before the Word, and my soul bore the brunt of my misplaced priorities. I scribbled down three words to flash in my mind each time I reached for my phone over Scripture: Word before world.
As I shared about my “Word before world” journey online, women from all over the globe joined me. It turns out, I’m not the only one who wants to make the most of my days and live for what lasts far beyond my brief time on earth. This hundred-day devotional is a portfolio of the work God has done in my life since I committed to put God’s Word before the world. Each devotion is a snapshot of timeless truth I’ve gleaned from Scripture. I’m a visual learner, so it was vital that every aspect of the book—the book cover, design elements, and interior art—paint a meaningful visual for the reader to soak in and savor, fostering a sense of connection and shared journey.
The cover of Word before World is layered with meaning. I worked alongside the design team at Tyndale House Publishers, and artist, Jill De Haan, to make the vision swirling in my head come to life. You’ve heard the adage, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” but I fully believe that as much as we want this to be true, people do choose books based on how the cover looks and makes them feel. We are visual creatures—responding to images, beauty, and design in ways unbeknownst to us.
Upon spying the cover in a bookstore, I want the cogs of your minds to turn in unison as your eyes trace the window, following the magnolia branches framing its edges. I want you to question why the pages of the Bible are moving and hear the rustle of branches as a gentle breeze wafts through the frame. I want your eye to rest on the perched cardinal, the buzzing bee gathering pollen, the marigold butterfly sipping nectar. Each of these elements is purposeful and intertwined in the language and stories in the book. Word before World is meant to awaken your senses as you connect the dots in your life and see how putting God’s Word first impacts how you see and live and leads to lasting joy.
I wrote Word before World for the mom picking up this book off her coffee table, her hair in an unkempt messy bun and her baby babbling in a bouncer as she reads words to bolster her tired spirit. I imagined a woman coming home from a long day at work, setting her phone on the charger, and picking up this devotional to charge her soul with gospel truth. I envisioned the worn-out, bone-weary, “wanting to keep going yet not knowing how” reader who desperately needs a reminder that she is not alone and there is hope in Jesus. Because the truth is, tucked inside these one hundred devotions is a portrait of God’s faithfulness and unchanging nature that I hope leaves you with a priceless word picture that changes your days as you put Jesus first.
