A Little Help along the Way

“In Your presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)

In my sermon on Sunday, I mentioned that two of the ways for retaining the joy of the resurrection in our lives is through reading/believing/applying the Scriptures and through prayer. More than a few in our congregation have mentioned that they have a desire to do better with family devotions or with their own personal prayers. As we see in Luke 24, joy is found in the presence of a risen Christ, and the discipline of “being in His presence” is foundational to living before Him with joy at all other times. Here are a few suggestions and ideas to help get the pump primed again if the works have gotten gummed up in your devotional life.

1. Use the daily “Matins” article from this blog for your family devotions. You can find better, but doing something handy, even if it is not the best, is better than putting off (i.e., “doing nothing”) until you find “the best.”

2. Browse the local Christian bookstore or online booksellers for a good devotional book to use—and then purchase it and use it.

3. Get ideas/recommendations from others in the church and follow up on them.

4. Use portions of the liturgy guide used in Sunday’s worship as a guide for your family worship (emphasis on portions—don’t try to recreate the whole thing!).

5. Pick a book (e.g., the gospel according to Mark), start at the beginning, read a few verses, and then pray a simple prayer about what you just read, etc. This done daily is better than 100 devotional books on your shelf.

6. To say it again, whatever you do, do it consistently. It would be far better to read one verse of Scripture, pray a fifteen-second prayer, and do it daily than to fall into the habit of doing nothing. If you are in that habit (i.e., of doing nothing), ask God’s forgiveness, receive it, and then jump in with both feet, fully expecting not to feel like changing back to better habits. (Follow the side of your heart that is telling you to do what you know is right, not those pesky feelings to the contrary.)

7. Keep it simple but sincere, respectful but not oppressive, fervent but not tiresome.

8. Read with a desire to listen, understand, believe, and apply. Pray for God to speak to you, teach you, comfort you, guide you, etc.

9. Let the Scripture guide your prayers. Pray in light of the Scripture you read.

10. Ask for God’s help—for the desire to read the Scriptures and pray, for the grace to do it consistently, for direction in the how and the what and the when, and for the joy and other good things that come of it.

Be faithful in this “little thing” of spending devoted time in the presence of God every day, and God will richly reward you with His blessing and presence at all other times and in every other thing as well. Joy and satisfaction may seem elusive much of the time, but Christ’s desire is for you to be full of these very things. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) Hearing His voice and His hearing yours—in prayer, praise, thanks, confession, and commitment—is indispensable in tracking the way to true and lasting joy.