InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
ivpress.com
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©2004 by Dallas Willard and Jan Johnson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA® , a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® . NIV ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Cover design: Cindy Kiple

Images: Mangos: © Allan Jenkins / Trevillion Images

ISBN 978-0-8308-9987-6 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-4616-0 (print)

Introduction

H earing God Through the Year is an invitation to embrace the Scripture and ideas in Dallas Willard’s thought-provoking book Hearing God. Enclosed in this devotional book are not only key passages from Willard’s book but also Scripture to soak in more deeply and a daily activity to help you respond to the Scripture and accompanying thoughts. That activity may be to reflect, pray or meditate.

Responding to what God says to you in the daily meditation is always important. Simply reading something will have little effect on you. The suggestion is just a place to start, however, and you may find yourself praying about what you reflected on and responding to God in prayer.

Beyond that, you may feel led to journal. Especially if the reflection raises confusion within you, it can be helpful to write your thoughts down on paper. Also, some prayers are better written in a journal because you need to be as concrete as possible in your ideas. And sometimes God will speak to you through reflection and meditation in a way that’s so downright stunning that these thoughts should be recorded and read for several days.

Keep in mind that reading devotional books is not an item to be checked off every day. It’s simply a way to have ongoing conversation with God and invite God to speak to you today about what you are able and willing to hear. You might preface each reading by thanking God for promising to meet you where you are, as ...