Last week, I asked if doing devotionals is actually important. The answer was that it was not only important but also necessary to do devotionals every single morning. If you have not already read that you can do so here.
But how do we stay consistent? Consistency is something I struggle with whether that’s doing devotionals every day or posting on my blog every Saturday morning (that this post was posted on Sunday speaks to that).
Plus, what is a devotional even supposed to look like?
I talked to some adults who have done devotionals much longer than myself and asked what they do. Here’s what I found:
Everyone is different
During this interview process, it became obvious very quickly that there is no “one size fits all” formula for spending time with God. Everybody is different- different schedules, different interests, different levels of spiritual maturity.
For example, one person I interviewed is very musically talented/centered and loves writing songs. So, it’s not unusual for his devotionals and morning reflections to actually turn into songs. This is something that is unique to him but it helps cement those truths and revelations.
Out of all the people I interviewed, no two people had the same routine. If someone else’s routine works for you- great!- use that. But if it doesn’t, find something that will help you. What I use is actually a combination of routines from the people I interviewed.
To give some suggestions, here are some of their routines:
- Read from devotional book
- Read Psalm
- Read through a book of the Bible (Chapters for that day)
- Pray
- Read a prayer from a prayer-book
- Read a Psalm or Proverb
- Read from a book of the Bible (Read Chapters for that day)
- Journal about what sticks out
- Pray
Journaling
A basic question that is asked when talking about journaling is “what should I journal about?”
I would answer that with the same mindset as the previous topic: everyone is different. It all depends on who you are and what helps you the most.
Different people write different things i.e: what really stuck out to them, what was significant specifically to their lives, how what they read really applies to them, etc;. Really, it’s about what helps you.
I’m going to let you in on a secret: not journaling does not make you a bad/undedicated Christian. Shocker, right?
However, even those I interviewed who do not journal recommended journaling. It’s a great way to solidify ideas and reflect on truth. It’s also really neat and encouraging to be able to see how God has been working in your life.
But it doesn’t help everyone. It’s a decision you need to make for yourself. Make sure, though, that you are deciding not to journal because journaling doesn’t help you and not because there’s laziness involved (we’ve all been there).
Prayer
Prayer is an imperative part of our time with the Lord. I really cannot emphasize this enough. Here are a few suggestions/things to keep in mind based on the information I gathered:
- Prayer is more than quickly asking for stuff
Since before the beginning of our culture, prayer has been a huge aspect of life. But, along with Christianity, in many cases, it seems to have become a watered down, pointless version of what it’s supposed to be.
Too easily, it seems, we often take <1 minute to “spend time with God” and in the process, we just spout off a wish list. Yes, we are told to ask, but prayer is so much more than that. To keep it brief, in our prayers we should:
- Be sincere
- Praise God for being God (see Psalm 8 for an example)
- Ask God (see Psalm 55)
- Thank God (see Psalm 9)
This is a very concise list but it is a topic I will almost certainly write about in-depth in the near future.
- Create prayer lists
A great way to remember who to pray for or what to give thanks for is to write it down in lists. One person says he will write prayer needs in lists and then will read those as he prays. He says he may not read all the lists every day but it’s a great way to keep track and be intentional in our requests.
- Find a quiet, secluded place
It is important to find a place where you can focus solely on your time with God. This can be in your bedroom or on your porch. One person even uses her bathroom because there aren’t any distractions. Find somewhere you know you can focus on God.
Set aside time
Lack of time is one of the main reasons we seem to skip out on morning devotionals… but it’s not a valid excuse.
Devotionals are usually going to take more than five minutes. Don’t sell yourself short when it comes to your time with God.
If it takes you 30 minutes, find 30 minutes. If it takes you an hour or more, find that time.
But how do we find an hour with a schedule that just seems to keep getting busier?
The key is to plan and be willing to make sacrifices.
Let’s say you take a 10-15 minute shower in the morning, take 7 minutes to change, and spend 8 minutes at breakfast. Plus, you spend 5-10 minutes on your phone when you first wake up.
If you were to cut out the social media, take a 5-minute shower, and set out your clothes the night before, you’ve saved 25 minutes right there. If you’ve cut everything out you can still don’t have time, plan the night before to go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier so you can wake up earlier.
We can find the time in the morning, we just have to try.
Time with God in the morning is certainly important enough for you to make sacrifices. It’s not easy- that’s why I’m calling it “sacrifice,” but it is possible, and it is necessary.
Routine
When I say get in a routine, I mean both in finding a schedule for our mornings that involves doing a devotional and finding routine in the devotional itself.
For the second week in a row, I share this Michael Hyatt quote: “What gets scheduled gets done.” I just stated that planning is the key to finding time. We need to find a time in the morning, plan on it, and then build a routine around it ensuring that happens.
But it also applies to the way you actually do your devotional.
As you can see at the beginning of this post, the people I talked to actually had an order that they actually did things in. This can be really helpful because it ensures we are getting through everything we want to (i.e. praying, reading from a devotional book) and we tend to develop a better sense of how long we actually need in the morning.
But make sure it doesn’t become monotonous.
If you’ve ever run or cycled, you probably know that following a single route too much can very easily make it boring, despite how much you initially enjoyed it. It can make you dread just the idea of taking that route.
The same thing can happen with devotionals. That’s why one of the people I interviewed will often switch up the devotional book he goes through. He says he actually has about 5 that he will rotate through so that he doesn’t get burned out.
Some people, though, couldn’t possibly do this because they thrive on consistency. Find what works for you and remember to be flexible when necessary.
Another little tip is to find a routine now, during the Summer so that when school and the busy schedule that accompanies it rolls around, you are already in the habit of setting aside time every morning.
I hope this information was helpful and if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments or email them to me. If you have any routines or methods you like to use/find particularly helpful, be sure to mention them in the comments section so they can help someone else, too.