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Don't confuse Devotional time with Study time
The purpose of devotional time is to reconnect with God. The purpose of study is to learn more about God, His creation, and His ways. Many Christians blend these two purposes together in the same "quiet time." I recommend you intentionally focus yourself first on devotional time, and then shift your focus and methods to Bible study. Both your devotion and study practices will be stronger if you keep them separated. Truly, you should not engage in study until you are connected with the Spirit. If I want to move into study after my morning devotion time, then I actually leave the room, get a fresh glass of water, and then re-enter the room consciously thinking about study.
Successful practices
There aren't "best practices" for devotional time, because our Lord interacts with His children in different ways and differently over time. So I don't think there is one best way to experience God through devotions.
There are, however, successful practices that we should share with one another. As I have talked with other believers, these seem to be common elements:
Early morning -- the more things you do before your devotional time the less likely you will be have a devotional time at all.
Regular place and familiar tools -- we are creatures of habit, and having a regular place and familiar tools is a good trigger to help us reconnect with God. Many people have a favorite chair or a designated corner. A familiar Bible is a comfort and reminder of God's faithfulness in the past.
Quiet -- God rarely raises His voice over the din of the world, let alone the din in our minds. We must take steps to quiet our environment.
Including Prayer and the Word -- both are essential parts of the conversation you're having with the Lord. Neglecting either leads to error.
God is a Person, and is in relationship with you. He loves you, has called you by name, and desires to abide with you. Reconnecting with our Lord and Savior is similar to reconnecting with human beings we love and cherish. There's a wonderful built-in power for connection and a history to draw upon. We need to listen to one another and share our thoughts and dreams. We express our deepest feelings. Your relationship with Christ is special because God has made it so. That's the confidence we hold as we approach the throne of grace and reconnect with God each day.
My standard morning devotional practice
Simple approaches work best for me. Remembering my purpose of reconnecting with God, I open the Bible to where I left off the day before, pray that my heart would be open to Christ's love, and then beginning reading. I read until a verse or passage "hits" me, then I stop reading and lift up prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Some days I read three verses; other days I read 3 chapters. My purpose is clear: I aim to reconnect with God. If I have not connected with the Lord, then I continue. There have been difficult days when my heart is hard, and I have read through ten chapters -- but I seek the blessing of an abiding Spirit!
"We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand -- out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise." (Romans 5:2-3; The Message)
Prayer is an essential element to devotional life. There are many dimensions to prayer, and we will ever be in the foothills of prayer. But nothing more is needed than a sincere prayer, "Lord, I need you. You made me to be connected to you. Please help me to know you."
There is a good nightly habit to go along with this morning devotion practice. Before falling asleep, I pray a simple prayer, asking that I would wake up with a heart and mind eager to connect with the Lord. I believe our heavenly Father delights to answer that prayer! Many mornings I wake up and immediately some verse or hymn or praise chorus will be in my mind. I believe this practice is why it usually takes me only a few verses of Scripture reading to reconnect with God.
The primary reason I recommend this devotional practice to others, even new believers, is because no special tools are required other than your Bible. You don't need a special book or journal or CD with instructions. You don't need a special devotional Bible targeted to your age/gender. You needn’t be an outstanding reader or experienced prayer warrior. God makes it easy to connect and reconnect with Him! If more were needed for effective devotional connection to God than His Word and the Holy Spirit, it would have been provided at Pentecost.
Ruts and Getting Out of Them
I get into ruts. So will you. There will be days when your devotional life feels dry and dusty, without life, and you're just going through the motions. When this happens remember two truths:
1. God has not changed, nor His love for you, nor His desire to be your life-giving Lord.
2. God is continuing to grow you, and will allow you to fall into ruts so that you're stretched and learn to abide creatively with Him. His love for you is so great that He will not allow you to turn a joyous relationship into life-killing ritual!
I'm not ashamed to put that one thing I have to take to the office in front of the door so I don't forget it in the morning -- and I'm not ashamed of trying different approaches to keep my devotional life fresh. Call them tricks if you prefer, but the important thing is my desire to be close to God and experience His love. I readily admit that I benefit from "tricks" to help keep me in fresh reconnection with the Lord of the Universe. A lot of this is about creating a change of pace to "shake the dust out." Here are some ideas that have helped me and may help you:
Using music. Music is from God and works powerfully in us. I sometimes play a quiet album of hymns or praise songs and let the lyrics move my heart. Let the lyrics become the basis for your prayers. (My favorite album for this purpose is Sanctuary by Twila Paris.)
Reading aloud. Try reading Scripture out loud to yourself. It is a completely different experience. The Gospel was meant to be heard.
Reading in a different translation. We become so familiar (we think!) with some passages that it's hard to hear them afresh. Try reading in a different translation. The Message translation is my favorite alternate translation from the New International Version that I use for study.
Read from the whole Bible, not just your favorite passages. God can speak to you from Leviticus and Lamentations as well as Luke. He can use any part of Isaiah, not just chapters 42-44. Take counsel from the whole Word of God, not your preferred subset. If you're stuck or feeling dry, go to another part of the Bible.
Writing Try writing out your prayer requests and your side of your conversation with God. Or write out a few Scripture verses. For reasons we don't fully understand, writing helps trigger our concentration, focus, and insights. Our thoughts have a way of becoming untangled as they flow through the tip of a pencil. Writing might be just what you need to get unstuck. A special warning -- if you're not accustomed to writing like this, it may feel odd, and you'll be tempted to give up after 2 minutes. Give it at least 10 minutes.
Devotional time isn't just for mornings
Devotional time (remember, it's about reconnecting with God) should be a habit we work on throughout the day. We're called to be in a continual, abiding relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. As we go through the day our hearts and minds are very easily distracted, and so we need intentional reconnection several times per day. This won't just happen. We need to create the opportunities to reconnect. Here are some ideas that can help:
Coffee cup prayers Get a cup of coffee (or tea, if you prefer). Sit quietly and prayerfully as you sip the warm liquid. Renew yourself in the truths of God's love for you and others. Make this last as long as the coffee.
While driving Listening to praise music while driving in familiar places can help you reconnect with God. If you drive a lot and routinely listen to the radio or taped music you might find it refreshing to turn off the music and experience quiet solitude.
Walking Take a walk around your neighborhood and prayerfully ask God to show you the neighbors as He sees them. This can really help you get unstuck from self-focused ruts. In my experience, walking is best for this, rather than driving.
Attach devotional ‘reconnect’ to something you do routinely You can build a new habit. What if every time you brushed your teeth you intentionally reconnected with God? I know a man who walks from his office to the adjacent hall to pick up computer printouts, and makes each trip a time for quick reconnecting prayers. Perhaps there is a certain intersection or milestone that can be your trigger for prayer as you chauffer kids to activities.
By the way, memorizing Scripture is a big help for your "during-the-day" devotional reconnects -- it makes it possible to include God's Word in your life at any moment.
Make time and space daily to reconnect with the living Christ -- your Savior, Teacher, Friend, Master, and Lord. Make times in the morning, throughout your day, and the evening before you sleep. Use the ideas above to help you get out of ruts. Your walk with Christ will be blessed as you stay in intimate contact with Him.
Glenn Brooke is currently serving on the Elder Board |
