Kylah Martin’s new devotional offers believers the opportunity for an intentional pursuit of God’s word.

Expectant launched in November and is the culmination of months of personal devotion and Bible study – a journey that even Mrs Martin did not expect to take.

“I didn't sit down to a table and decide to write a book,” she said. “Literally, this came out of my devotional time.

“At my former church, New Life in Hampton, Virginia, my husband had given the church a challenge to learn a verse a day from each chapter of Proverbs. After I got over the initial shock and awe of the challenge, my competitive juices kicked in. And then I thought that maybe if I continued with this challenge, I can make it a habit. So, I continued for 66 days – one day for each book of the Bible.”

At the end of the experience, Mrs Martin found herself deeply connected to the verses she had committed to memory.

“I didn’t want to move on in my devotional experience without going back to spend some more time with it. I went back through the verses and reflected on how my heart was impressed with what I had read and learnt. As I was going through that phase of it, I was compelled to share.”

While the book may have happened by “accident”, the process to publishing it was very intentional.

“I went back over every verse. I literally took the verses that I learnt and prayerfully wrote about how I was uplifted or ministered to by them.

“I didn’t share this with anyone. It was just me and God. I didn’t even tell my husband until after I had already typed all of my thoughts.”

The title of the book directly explains what she hopes readers will experience by using her devotional guide.

“I hope that readers will expect to find something special.

“So just kind of the idea that when you are coming to the Bible you should come with a spirit of expectation. Come believing that you will encounter something special. Expecting that God will do something amazing is an exercise of faith. I think informing the idea of being expectant is a given that God wants to bless me.”

Mrs Martin's husband, Richard Martin, is pastor of the Devonshire Seventh-day Adventist Church of Love on Roberts Avenue.

Mrs Martin was raised in the Adventist faith and has been involved in church ministry for her entire life. However, like most young Christians, it wasn’t until her early adult years that her faith began to take shape.

“I was brought up in the church, learning about God and serving in various roles. However, I would say that there were times were I felt like I was serving God but I didn’t feel like I was growing. I felt disconnected. I wanted to serve, but it didn’t always feel like it was coming out of a relationship with God.

“I remember once I was serving in youth ministry, and someone asked me to give the devotional thought on the spot. I didn’t feel ready to share. That experience stuck with me because I wanted to be ready to share at any time. I wanted that confidence in my relationship with God.”

Returning to the fundamental practice of Bible reading was transformative for her faith journey.

“I decided to get intentional about the things I was doing in service. I had always prayed and read my Bible but now, I started doing it with more intention.”

In that season during her mid-twenties, Mrs Martin felt her faith and her relationship with God develop.

“It was a major turning point for me. I really felt my faith being grounded and my relationship with God expanding. That felt good.”

While she is excited about the outcome of her book Mrs Martin admits she does not have many expectations for the project.

“I don’t have any set expectations per se, but I do expect that someone’s walk with God will be enhanced by this. And not because of me, but because this is God’s word. I’m expecting that God will open doors that I truly can’t comprehend or foresee.

“In the front of the book I share a verse from Isiah 64:3 that says ‘You did awesome things that we did not expect.’ So, I am totally prepared for God to exceed my expectations.”

• For more information, or to order a copy of Expectant, visit iexpectgod.com