I ran across Paul’s devotional New Morning Mercies a few years back and must tell you that it is, without a doubt, the best devotional I have used. Like many of you, I continue to read this devotional year after year and have passed it on to others.
About a year ago a friend of mine who had just returned from his pastoral sabbatical contacted me about a ministry that the Lord put on his heart. He wanted to start a ministry where folks could gather together to repent, confess, pray (together and for one another), and give testimony to the love and faithfulness of the Lord. We launched the ministry in January of 2022 after training up leaders to facilitate the groups.
We wanted to use a devotional that prompted discussion and helped participants feel free to speak about whatever the Lord was doing in their lives—the good and the hard. I recommended New Morning Mercies as a possible one to read. After experiencing the book first-hand themselves, the leaders decided to use it.
We thought we may have a few people excited and end up with one or two meetings each week. God had bigger plans for this ministry. Our first week began with eight meetings. Over 150 people showed up in the first two weeks. Praise God!
New Morning Mercies has been quite a blessing to those in the area we serve. This devotional is changing people’s lives! Although it wasn’t specifically designed for use in a group setting we have found it translates well to a group as it helps connect our hearts to God’s transforming work in our lives.
As a result of being introduced to this devotional, other ministries in the church have begun to dig deeper with one another to get to the true state of their souls. Students are coming out of depression; men and women are finding freedom in confession and repentance. We have only just begun and are excited about what the Lord has ahead for us.
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