At the start of Josh Wood's GENESIS AMIDST THE CHAOS, Wood lays out his goal for this devotional: “To get readers into the book of Genesis, and to keep them there for a whole year.” Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Fifty weeks soaking in, meditating on, and examining the first fifty chapters of the Bible. Then reflecting on how the themes and lessons played out each week might teach you a better way to handle your own struggles and choices in everyday life.
Every chapter is meant to be read, considered, and dwelt on for a whole week. After each chapter, the author has included "AMP" prompts as a way to encourage readers to dive deeper, reflect, and apply the lessons learned along the way. "AMP" stands for Apply, Meditate, and Pray. Each week, he offers up some relevant questions and verses to help readers get the most out of this devotional. It's meant to be a tool that supports others as they grow in their faith walk and in life.
GENESIS AMIDST THE CHAOS is laid out using a fun assortment of facts, opinions, pop-culture references, and Biblical truth. By including a little bit of everything, Wood inspires people to take a second glance at Genesis and see it in a way they've never experienced before. Meanwhile, Wood's tone and style encourage readers to look closer: "In the face of the worst kinds of suffering imaginable, the hopeless find hope." This approach makes it feel as if he is personally there, welcoming us to really ponder (and even wrestle with at times) the oddities and unexpectedly beautiful surprises hidden within the Bible.
Wood admits at times that the book, in part, served as a personal means of devotion during some of the most difficult days of his life: sitting with his son in a hospital room, surviving chronic seizures, and enduring the unknowns that came with those heartbreaking challenges. These experiences shaped the author's understanding of faith and left a profound impact on his writing. Wood's own struggles and challenges while reading through Genesis serve as an inspiration and a sounding board of sorts, inviting readers to be vulnerable and dive deep into scripture—to be honest with God (and with themselves) when things aren’t working out or don’t seem to make sense.
These are all ways in which GENESIS AMIDST THE CHAOS raises the standard for devotionals. It’s not trying to be perfect or overly polished. Instead, it meets readers right where they are, inviting them to draw closer to the source of true healing and peace.
Josh Wood’s GENESIS AMIDST THE CHAOS rises above and invites readers to reflect on the messiness that is humanity. This year-long devotional offers readers a closer and more intimate look at where it all began, revealing a layer of Genesis they likely haven’t seen before.
~ Stephanie Lynn for IndieReader