For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional
Hanna Reichel
Eerdmans, 180 pages
Published September 4, 2025
“How will you live in such a time as this?” theologian Hanna Reichel asks at the conclusion of their “emergency devotional.” This question permeates For Such a Time as This, and we are empowered to respond because Reichel shares wisdom and encouragement alongside rich histories from other people and communities who have discerned how to best “keep living despite what feels like the end of a world.”
In an introduction titled “We’ve Been Here Before,” Reichel offers much-needed perspective. Nations that once saw themselves as the pinnacle of innovation and economic success found that as conditions changed, their political systems eroded, polarization increased, and civic unrest became common. While Reichel explicitly describes Germany toward the start of the last century, readers will immediately draw connections with our current times. As they unpack these stories, Reichel lifts up responses both heroic (Germany’s Confessing Church proclaiming what it looks like to follow Jesus under the Nazis) and mundane (faithful people choosing to feel discomfort and strengthening their empathy “muscle” as they discern how to respond).
As most devotionals do, For Such a Time as This invites a deeper relationship with God, as well as suggests practices for living out that relationship in community: “share cups of blessing and remembrance … tell stories full of wonder and doubt … pray for one another.” But Reichel’s approach is equally inviting for those who don’t ordinarily appreciate devotional reading. Each short passage is chock full of history, theological insights and biblical examples, providing daily encounters with God that speak to head and heart.
Each entry is short – only 4-5 pages – a welcome respite from the daily information overload. Yet readers looking to go deeper will appreciate the additional resources for journaling or group discussion, suggestions for further reading and experiential activities. For Such a Time as This speaks beautifully to, well, a time like this. Check it out.
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