Word before World Review

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Gretchen Saffles hits home with her very real and relatable devotionals in Word Before World. As I studied through each installment, there were many “Oh my word, this is so me!” moments. This Word Before World review is marked anonymous because I share some life stories my family is working through, and some of them are not my stories to share. I hope you will understand as you read through my review.

This book contains 100 devotionals that convict you to dig deep into the Word and adjust your reactions to life’s trials.

I cried tears that had needed to come out for years. You see, just like you or your sister, mom, or friend, there are life circumstances that I have taken as personal failures and have been holding in, trying to hide from the world.

I was so worried about what the world—extended family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers—would say or think about what was happening in my life that I didn’t put His Word first. When I faced things like an abusive marriage, an alcoholic spouse, the accidental death of a child, and the “coming out” of a child who identifies as trans, I wanted to shut out the outside world and try to contain the damage and hide the shame.

We can get so absorbed in trying to control the reality of our lives being made public that we forget what Saffles reminds us of – “But Jesus didn’t come for those who have their act together…Gospel-centered friendship is not rooted in showing off our independence or our ability to control the details of our lives…”

He came to set us free. Using the fig leaves Adam and Eve used to hide their transgression as an example, Saffles describes how we can easily fall into the pattern of hiding our need for help.

We blame ourselves. We think our relatives and friends will blame us, “How did you not see this coming?”

I was eager to review Gretchen Saffle’s devotional Word Before World Devotional because, over the past 15 years, I have known all too well the effect our worldly culture has on families.

Now, moms, more than ever, we HAVE TO BE IN THE WORD first and foremost every day. The world and the enemy will find that one little crack in the heart of our spouse or our children and turn that small crack into a huge, gaping hole where anti-Biblical values and behavior will take root, flourish, and blind.

Our families are exposed to our decaying culture in public, on the internet, on television, on the radio, at a friend’s house, and even at youth group.

I hope you enjoy this Word Before World review. I needed this book years ago, and I am so thankful it landed on my desk now. God knew I needed it.

God could be putting this devotional before you today as part of His plan for you.

How Word Before World is Structured

Word Before World is a collection of 100 devotions thoughtfully written by Gretchen Saffles, the author of The Well-Watered Woman.

The idea for the title of the devotional comes from John 1:1, “In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The author states that her goal is to help us put His Word first regardless of what is happening in our lives and our culture.

The book is divided into ten sections, each titled around a theme for the individual devotionals in the section.

These sections are:

Jesus is Always and Forever Good
God is Not Afraid of Your Doubts
Praise God with Your Tiny Hallelujahs
His Mercy is Oxygen for Your Weary Soul
God is Faithful Even When We Are Faithless
You Cannot Fall Behind When You Are Following Jesus
In Christ You Are Fully Loved, Fully Free, Fully His
Faith is Trusting God to Guide and Provide One Step at a Time
Jesus Loves You Even in the Moment You Don’t Have Your Act Together
It is a Good Thing to Be Needy for God

Each devotional begins with a scripture verse, followed by two pages of Gretchen sharing relatable stories, experiences, emotions, thoughts, and biblical events and scripture.

There is a Word Before World section where the author shows how God and His Word provide far better peace and solitude than the world. The world is so loud these days, with multiple social media platforms, non-biblical news outlets, magazines, and newspapers telling us how fortune, physical possessions, the latest fitness craze, a new age practice, or whatever fad will keep us happy, feeling fulfilled, or give us control over our lives and destiny.

Each devotional’s Word Before World sections are quick reminders of God’s providence, which sustains us through joys and sorrows.

A Grow in Grace section ends each devotional with questions to consider, journal about, and even discuss with your spouse or as a family.

Each devotional took me 20 to 60 minutes, depending on how much time I spent digging into the scripture verses and journaling. Some devotionals took me two days because the words just flowed out onto the pages of my journal.

Word Before World Review – Getting Very Real

I love these devotionals because, honestly, Gretchen Saffles hits home. She touches on the difficult, almost paralyzing places we can find ourselves as wives, mothers, daughters, and friends. Then, she reminds us about the growth, joy, and peace we enjoy when we focus on Him and His Word. (As an aside, the book has plenty of devotionals centered on praising God and His mercy and love for us.)

In the devotional entitled When Mountains Don’t Move, we are asked to think about a time when we prayed hard for a certain outcome to a situation. Then, facing the reality that how we wanted God to move the mountain wasn’t God’s plan, we get fearful, worried, and discouraged. In other words, God isn’t answering the prayer as we want it answered.

But, Saffle asks, what if that mountain wasn’t meant to be moved?

I don’t know about you, but I am right smack in the middle of one of those mountain times. And I have thought, “God, why aren’t you showing yourself to my child right now? It would just take one little nudge. You did it for (insert name), why not my child?”

Surely, we are praying for something biblical; why isn’t God moving that mountain I’m so fervently praying for?

What do we do next?

The choice can be to ignore the issue while getting lost on social media, watching the dolled-up lives of others as they show their beautiful homes, fun vacations, unbox a new wardrobe, show off a room remodel, do a family dance about the ages of their children, etc. I am not saying all social media is bad, but it’s a temptation to escape what hurts our hearts, marriages, and children.

The easy thing to do when life gets tough is to get into the world and escape. For the first few months after our teen came out, I had to fight the urge not to get out of bed each day. It felt so much better to lie under the covers and scroll through social media or watch my favorite detective series on Netflix.

The author reminds us to stay close to God and encourages us to hike over that mountain with Him. That’s what God wants us to do—walk beside Him, leaning on Him the whole way, as He navigates us all over the mountain. We must trust Him and not doubt His work in us, our children, or whomever we pray over.

In the devotion Know That You Know, the author addresses our times of doubt. I love what she writes, “Doubts do not define us, but they certainly can refine us.”

She also touches on disbelief. Being real and honest, sometimes a response to the difficulties in life is to ask, “Where are you, God? Do you exist?” Gretchen Saffles provides four truths and scripture as tools against doubt and disbelief. She also calls on us not to be afraid of our doubts. It’s best to face them and pray for God to help those thoughts of unbelief.

Again, this is an example of how the author doesn’t tiptoe around the difficult thoughts we can have when walking a trial. We can acknowledge that we feel frustration, discouragement, and doubt, then move on and use the Word to give us weapons to fight those thoughts and walk alongside Jesus in ever-stronger faith.

We can put enough shame and guilt on ourselves about things happening in our families. These real and compassionate devotionals help us discuss the difficult feelings these trials bring and provide productive ways to dig into His Word and fight those feelings with Truth.

Word Before World Review – A Favorite Journaling Assignment

“The gospel clears out the complaints of our hearts so we can see Jesus more clearly and give thanks for all He has done,” from the Praise Like Confetti devotional in Word Before World.

I had never thought of His Word clearing out all the complaining I do when I go through a season of “woe is me.”

In the Growing in Grace sections at the end of each devotional, there is often a question to journal.

One of my favorite journaling assignments was the exercise where we were asked to write down our fears or false beliefs and then apply scripture to each one. My fear is for the salvation of my prodigal adult child.

My scripture study led me to Matthew 18:12-15 about the shepherd leaving 99 of his sheep to find the one that went astray and the story of the woman at the well when the disciples questioned Jesus about even speaking to the woman.

I always cry when I read the story of the woman at the well. To me, the grace and love Jesus ultimately showed her is one of the most moving moments in His ministry. The tenderness and forgiveness Jesus showed for a sinner and how she turned into a believer at that moment shows hope that an unbelieving child, spouse, family member, or friend can also have that moment. However, it’s all in God’s timing.

This was another journaling question I enjoyed; it was from the With Us In The Wilderness devotion, “Make a simple timeline of your life. Looking back on the formative events, how can you see God’s hand at work in various moves, transitions, and changes?”

This took several journaling sessions, leading to several phone conversations with siblings about some wonderful times in the past. It was so fun to put this timeline together, yet there were some painful pieces to add. Looking back over the decades, I could see His steadfastness. It became clear that I must continue to trust Him with the current challenges because He works His plan in ways we cannot even imagine.

**How to Use Word Before World in Your Life**

This book is full of meaty, thought-provoking devotionals. I suggest spending as much time as needed on each one.

Here is what I did to take my time and get the most from each entry:

Set aside at least 15 minutes each day or every other day. If I wasn’t done with the reading or scripture research, I set it aside for the next session. Some days, I was able to get in two 15-minute sessions. The goal is quality time with these devotions, not trying to do 100 devotionals in 100 days.
Use it when you need a “steroid shot of truth,” as the author refers to it. There are days or weeks when memories resurface and try to feed fears, guilt, or doubt. Many devotional entries in this book can refocus attention on His Word.
Journal the questions that are asked. When we are in a heavy trial time, it can be hard to journal, especially questions that can be thought-provoking and ask us to dig into our doubts or fears and write them down. Yikes! But take the time to do so. To me, this has been a series of biblically-based therapy sessions. As I wrote answers to these questions and dug into scripture, I found that the emotions and prayers flowed onto the paper.
If there is a devotional entry you want to share with your spouse, children, or a close friend, pray about it. I think the timeline of life events and journaling God’s providence along the way is a good one to share with a friend. There is another Growing in Grace question about acknowledging a time when you didn’t feel important. If you have a child struggling with self-esteem issues, this might be a good devotional to use with them. (This devotional in the book is entitled “He Knows Your Name.”)

Word Before World Review – Final Thoughts

Word Before World is one of the richest and most helpful devotionals I have worked through. The individual devotionals are grounded in scripture and address our real feelings as women, wives, moms, daughters, sisters, and friends.

Word Before World has reinforced what I have been trying to do through the difficulties that have worked against our Christian worldview. My goal has been to stay grounded in His Word and show the love of Christ despite opposing worldviews and the resulting trials. It is possible to do both. I am thankful that the journaling questions helped the thoughts and emotions flow onto paper.

Regardless of the valleys our families face, we moms share some of the same emotions—doubt, fear, anger, and guilt. At the same time, we want to trust God, lean on Him, and keep our hearts and eyes on Him. Gretchen Saffles does an outstanding job of helping us process the raw emotions and turn to God and His Word for Truth, comfort, and a healthy path forward. (Because staying in bed watching Netflix is not the way through the dark times.)

The world is exposing our children and teens to ideas and behaviors that, just 15-20 years ago, we didn’t fathom would be shown on TV, praised on social media, or promoted in curriculum and books, movies, music, and apparel. Moms, we must armor ourselves, our marriages, and our families by putting The Word before the world.

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