The Discipline of Daily Devotions
Reading the Bible and praying are two of the most important disciplines in a Christian’s life. They are difficult for a lot of us to maintain regularly, I know. Yet they are so important. If I want to build my life on a foundation of the Word, then I have to read the Word. And if I am going to build my life on a foundation of prayer, then I have to make time to actually pray.
I have experimented with quite a few different systems over the years, sometimes with lots of study tools and sometimes with very few. My two staples that I always use are my Bible and my journal. Because I communicate best through writing, a lot of my prayer life takes place through journaling. (For an interesting recent discussion on journaling, especially as a spiritual practice, see Thoughts on Journaling at Alabaster Box.)
I would love to hear from my readers what some of your practices are in devotional times, what tools you use and have found helpful in the past, and what helps you stay on track. Also, do you find it comes more naturally to you to read the Bible or to pray? I have been talking with some friends about that. For me, it comes more naturally to read the Bible, but some of my other friends feel the opposite. So I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on that and on devotions in general.
Filed under: Christianity, Scripture on April 8th, 2008
I gave a little talk/presentation on strategies and such for having a daily devotional time to my students at camp. I’ve been thinking about working it into some blog posts.
For me, the trick is regularity. If I can get myself into a structured routine then I can sustain daily time in Scripture. When I’m on vacations and such, it is quite a challenge.
In terms of method, for the longest time, I simply read a passage and that was it. A few years ago, I started recording summaries in a journal. Last Fall, I received Calvin’s Commentaries for my birthday and so now I’m reading that along with my own reading and summary of Romans. Having a commentary has been helpful in that it gives me natural breaks in thought, so I can analyze 3-4 verses a day and go a little deeper than I had been. Also, having the insight of a wise pastor and theologian at my fingertips has been very profitable as well.
This is a great discussion topic!
I, personally, find it difficult to devote time to my devotions. But I typically do them in the morning. I usually pray, read my Bible (I read through a book of the Bible, a chapter at a time), and sometimes read a book (such as 90 Minutes in Heaven or Before You Meet Prince Charming), and sometimes write in my journal.
To me, I find it so much easier to pray than devote time to reading my Bible. I pray a lot during the day - even though it may not be a long 1-hour prayer or whatever, I’m constantly asking God for protection and thanking Him for His blessings and just generally praying. I’m so glad that we can go to God in prayer!
But, devotions are very important, and I try to do them every day, although that doesn’t always happen.
Anna, I am so glad I am not the only one who finds reading the Word easier (well not easier… let’s say comes more naturally) than spending time in prayer. Usually everyone I talk to finds prayer is easier. But, as you said, both are crucial to the Christian life.
I truly want my life to be built on a foundation of prayer and Scripture… that means I need to spend more time in both!
Daily devotions for me includes my Bible, of course, and two journals. One I use for “Scripture Thoughts” in which I write a verse and the top of the page and record thoughts or revelations, and the other journal is my prayer journal where I write down my prayers to God (you see I am trying to have a better prayer life!). Writing down my prayers has helped me a lot, maybe because writing comes easy for me.
Sometimes I read a devotional like Spurgeon’s “Morning by Morning” or Andrew Murray’s “Daily in His Presence”.
Daily devotions or extremely important and one of the best parts of my day.
ps: thanks for the link to my post, that was very nice of you.
Great discussion to bring to light. Just as food and drink is necessary for sustaining physically, reading God’s Word and prayer if essential for sustaining spiritually. Honestly, I spend a lot of time praying through the day: walking to school, walking through the halls, sitting outside, and then there is actual bowing down before God and praying. I’m doing a yearly Bible reading right now and my best friend and I have gone through the entire New Testament together and discussed each chapter as we went through. I also use some commentaries but for the most part it’s just me, my Bible, and God.
Daily devotions are a pretty constant thing for me. I wouldn’t say this is because I’m a very disciplined, dilligent person though. I guess I feel like I’m in a stage of life that’s full of questions regarding the future, very uncertain. Because of that, I desire even stronger to be near to the One who knows all…who is such a steady, strong part of my life. I don’t want to miss anything He has to teach me, and say to me. He’s such a comfort
In the past, I’ve used devotionals like Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening devotions, or Oswald Chamber’s “My Utmost for His Highest”. (Oldies but goodies)
Lately I’ve just been using my study Bible and a journal, and that has been a real blessing. For me, it’s sometimes easier to read Scripture and then read someone else’s oppinion and application, but I thnk it’s important to just meditate on Scripture and let the Holy Spirit teach. (It’s good, of course, to check our conclusions with a trusted author if our application seems a little out there.)
Now, definitely I would say it’s easier for me to read my Bible then to pray. I often talk to God in short sentences throughout my day, but I find it difficult, to some degree, to set aside a long-ish period of time just to pray. I know it’s SO important, and I have found so much blessing in taking time to do this..so why don’t I do it more often? Not sure. Prayer definitely takes more discipline, for me. I’m trying to change this.
Well, I think I have rambled long enough.
Thanks for a great post, Anna.
Girl, I hear ya when it comes to the journaling! I started journaling along with my Bible reading a few summers ago after reading John Piper’s “When I Don’t Desire God”. Writing as I read and pray has made a huge difference in my devotion times. I feel like God reveals so much to me as I write, and also that it helps me stay more focused.
Since I’ve been at Seminary I’ve been challenged to set aside regular times to meet with the Lord without my journal as a point of reference. This has been really good for me also to help train my mind and to rely more fully on the Lord (and less on my pen). God has really been using that as well in my life when it comes to just sitting and listening. During these times though I have to be in the Chapel or a Sanctuary or I fail to concentrate.
Great topic Anna…’tis always wonderful and encouraging to hear how the Lord speaks to people and works in this area of our spiritual journey.
Great post! One of my goals this year is to have a stronger prayer life. I also find bible reading so much easier/more natural. If anything, I’ve been trying to “de-structure” my quiet times, as I’ve always been a bible reading, journalling, bible commentary type of girl, and in this season of my life (I have a four month old) it just doesn’t fit to have an hour-plus to sit in quiet time each day. It’s a process, but I’m enjoying getting more into prayer, and getting better at communing with the Lord all day long, and not confining my thinking to that one time of the day.
Anna, I am very much like you - I love writing and reading, and so I really enjoy journalling and reading & studying the Bible as part of my devotional times. However, prayer is something I really need to work on! My typical devotional goes something like this:
1. Put on worship music and read a Bible passage or Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotional to bring my mind to God.
2. Write down words of praise to God in my journal and the Scriptures or quotes I’ve just read.
3. Spend some time just worshipping God - singing along to praise music, etc.
4. Study the Bible. Currently I am going through the book of Proverbs, a few verses at a time.
It works well for me, as long as I don’t just do it mindlessly but actually connect with God, and I am fortunate enough to be able to have an hour and a half each morning to do this.
Really good post!
[...] was reminded, reading Anna’s post on Daily Devotions, just how important it is to get into a routine, not just because I want to do it in a wrote way, [...]
Prayer & daily reading of Scripture are the two must do’s for me, I believe those to be key to having the relationship and it’s growth with Jesus Christ. I do have a set daily devotional (Sparkling Gems), plus I receive throughout the week a devotional (Blackabys) via email.,so throughout the week, God’s word is constantly being presented to me, though I sometimes falter on the application aspect.
With the set devotional which is sometimes the spark for a blog post, I often times end up writing Scripture out, along with meanings of words, as well as my thoughts prior to reading the author’s comments. It seems as though writing out Scripture and thoughts helps me to focus on the message better, otherwise I tend to inadvertently speed read, and not receive a thorough understanding or insight into Scriptural nuances.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Grace and peace be with you.
I love daily devotionals. I appreciate the ssimplicity of it and enjoy how my interest in reading about the Bible stays peaked. One such resource is Trail Thoughts: A Daily Companion for the Journey of Faith.