Sometimes life just feels heavy. You wake up, and before your feet even hit the floor, the mental to-do list is already screaming. Or maybe it’s not the busywork—maybe it’s a quiet, persistent ache of loneliness or the kind of anxiety that makes your chest feel tight. Sarah Young spent decades in that headspace, often literally confined to a bed due to chronic illness. It was out of that isolation that she wrote Jesus Listens, a 365-day devotional that flipped the script on her previous work.
If you’ve been around a Christian bookstore in the last twenty years, you know the name Sarah Young. Her blockbuster, Jesus Calling, sold over 45 million copies. But while that book was written from the perspective of Jesus speaking to the reader, Jesus Listens is different. It’s written as a series of prayers from us to God.
Honestly, it's a bit of a relief.
The Pivot from Listening to Talking
For a long time, Young faced heat from critics who weren't comfortable with her writing in the first-person voice of God. They called it "presumptuous" or "dangerous." Whether you agree with that or not, Jesus Listens (released in October 2021) sidesteps that entire drama.
Basically, the book is a collection of short, Scripture-heavy prayers.
It’s designed for people who want to pray but literally don't have the words. You know those moments? Where you sit down to pray and just... blank? Young’s idea was to provide a "jump starter." Each entry is about a page long, ending with the specific Bible verses that inspired the words.
Why People Are Still Buying It in 2026
Sarah Young passed away in August 2023 at the age of 77. You might think her books would fade away, but the opposite happened. Her death seemed to cement her legacy as a "missionary of the heart." People keep coming back to Jesus Listens because it feels authentic to the struggle of being human.
Here is what makes it tick:
- It’s short. We’re talking three paragraphs. You can read it in two minutes while the coffee brews.
- The Scripture is baked in. It isn't just "feel-good" fluff; the prayers are basically paraphrased verses.
- It covers the "messy" stuff. It talks about regret, physical pain, and those days when you feel totally inadequate.
Addressing the "Automatic Writing" Controversy
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Some critics, like blogger Tim Challies, have historically linked Young’s "listening prayer" method to occult practices like automatic writing. They argue that waiting for "messages" from God outside of the Bible is a slippery slope.
💡 You might also like: Ancient Mesopotamia: Why the Fertile Crescent Still Matters Today
Young always pushed back on this. She explicitly stated in her introductions that her writings were not inspired in the same way the Bible is. She called them "personal reflections."
With Jesus Listens, that controversy mostly evaporated. Why? Because the book is a "monologue" directed toward God. It’s the most traditional form of Christian devotion—liturgy. By shifting the perspective, she created a tool that even her staunchest critics found harder to pick apart. It’s just a person talking to their Creator.
How to Actually Use the Book
If you’re looking to get the most out of it, don't just "read" it. That’s the mistake most people make. They treat it like a novel.
Try this instead. Read the prayer once to get the gist. Then, read it again, but out loud. There’s something about hearing your own voice say the words that makes them stick. Look up the verses at the bottom of the page. See how she wove the 23rd Psalm into a prayer about anxiety. It’s actually a pretty cool way to learn how to pray the Bible back to God.
A Legacy of Quiet Strength
Sarah Young lived most of her life out of the spotlight. She lived in Perth, Australia, and later Tennessee, dealing with Lyme disease and other health hurdles that would have sidelined most people. She didn't do the big stadium tours. She didn't have a flashy social media presence.
She just wrote.
And in a world that feels increasingly loud and chaotic, that quiet, steady focus is probably why Jesus Listens continues to rank on bestseller lists years after its debut. It offers a sense of "sturdy reality," as she once put it. It’s not about fixing your life in five easy steps; it’s about acknowledging that life is hard, but you aren’t doing it alone.
Practical Next Steps for Your Daily Routine
If you want to incorporate this into your life, start small. Put the book somewhere you'll actually see it—on your nightstand or next to the toaster.
- Commit to one week. Don't worry about the whole year yet. Just do seven days.
- Journal the "afterthought." After you read the prayer, write one sentence of your own. What’s the one thing on your mind right now?
- Check the references. If a particular prayer hits home, go to the source. Read the full chapter of the Bible referenced at the bottom.
By using these prayers as a scaffold, you can eventually build your own habit of talking to God, even on the days when you feel like you have nothing to say.