I was super excited to receive "The Devotional For Women" and now I'm even more excited to share with you my thoughts about it.

"The Devotional for Women" is a 366 day devotional edited by Rhonda Kelley and Dorothy Patterson. The book is a compilation of short devotions written by women from all ages and backgrounds. Each devotion gives a scripture passage to read that day, a focus verse, the devotional message, a prayer guide and space to write any personal reflections.

I say prayer guide because there is not a specific prayer that is written out to recite like most devotionals. The space for prayer prompts readers to pray for specific areas related to that days devotion. I think it gives readers the opportunity to make their devotion time more personal and less just reading what someone else has to say. I do think the space for personal reflection would be more useful if their were reflection questions to help guide readers through this area.

The devotions are not dated, just labeled day 1 through 366. The good thing about that is if you miss a day you can just start where you last left off and not feel rushed to catch up. So although it is a year long devotional it is structured in a way that lets you read at your own pace and I like that.

The editors explain in the introduction the importance of spending time with God in His Word. I do believe this book will help readers to do just that. The back of the book even has a daily Bible reading plan that corresponds with each devotion.

As I sated before this book was written my many women. I think this offers readers devotions from all different perspectives. That also means the devotional does not follow a consistent voice however I think that's good since this is a book you would spend an entire year reading.

Some of the devotions to me read more like a commentary than a devotion. Even the introduction calls each message "daily commentaries" so I'm not sure if calling it a devotional had more to do with marketing although it feels like an incomplete commentary but but too deep to really call it a devotional.  I also felt like there was not always a lot of practical application presented as to how to apply the lessons learned from the devotion to women's real lives. This is another reason I felt like it read more like a commentary than a devotion.

I love devotionals because, like this one, each devotion is brief and to the point. Many women today crave encouragement in God's Word but lack the time they desire to spend in His Word. I do think "The Devotional For Women" can meet this need especially for women more seasoned in their faith. Personally I'll probably use this book as a reference more than a devotional.