Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence (2004) is a daily devotional book written by Christian author Sarah Young and published by Byron Williamson at Integrity Publishers, based in Brentwood, TN. Two years later, in September 2006, Integrity, along with its catalog of books, including Jesus Calling, were bought by Thomas Nelson.[1] The book offers readers a 365-day personal spiritual journey intended to help the reader experience a deeper relationship with Jesus.[2] The book was inspired, in part, by Sarah Young's reading of a related book, God Calling, authored by A. J. Russell.[3] According to Publishers Weekly, Jesus Calling had sold 45 million copies as of 2023.[4]
Jesus Calling is also a Christian brand whose offerings include a quarterly magazine, a TV show, and a podcast.
Sarah Young had a degree in philosophy from Wellesley College; and earned a master's degree in biblical studies and counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.[5]
Young was a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), where her husband Stephen is an ordained minister and third-generation Christian missionary to Japan. The couple served as Mission to the World missionaries in Japan and Australia. As of 2018 they resided in the United States, where Young has two married children and two grandchildren.[6]
Young has been described as a humble person who prefers to stay out of the spotlight.[7] Young died on September 1, 2023, aged 77, following complications from Lyme disease.[8]
On April 25, 2015, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker read from Jesus Calling to more than 1,000 people at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition. A HarperCollins publicist said, "We had no idea Scott Walker had the book and would use it. It's always nice to hear about how Jesus Calling touched someone's life."[9]
On June 27, 2017, Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards delivered copies of Jesus Calling to women prisoners of the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.[10] The books were donated by The Next Door, a non-profit organization that serves women in crisis and provides Jesus Calling devotionals free of charge to jails and prisons.[11]
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read her leather-bound Jesus Calling daily devotional before press conferences.[12]
Other books written by Sarah Young include:
Jesus Calling has prompted objections from within the evangelical community. David Crump, professor of religion at Calvin College, stated in an interview with Christianity Today that Young "puts her thoughts into the first person and then presents that 'person' as the resurrected Lord".[16] Young and her editors have denied that she believed she received original revelation from Jesus, explaining that Jesus Calling recounts what she learned through prayer and reading the Bible.[17]
In June 2024, the Presbyterian Church in America, of which Young was a member, launched an investigation into the book, in order to "assess the book’s appropriateness for Christians in general and PCA members and congregations in particular with special regard for its doctrine and method."[18] [19]