Over the past several months I have received a few emails asking me for suggested resources for family devotions. Many of you already practice personal and/or family devotions, and most already have a good plan of action when it comes to doing so. However, some of you may have never had family devotions demonstrated for you, or you may have only recently become a Christ-follower and simply do not know where to start. My parents were wonderful, loving and hard-working parents (as were Dedra’s), but they never modeled devotions for us. Therefore, when we began daily devotions with our children, we were starting from scratch. I empathize with those of you who are starting from the same position. So, here are a few humble suggestions and examples for you as you consider family and/or personal devotions.
To begin, it is important to find a time of day that works best for you and/or your family. I suggest a regular bedtime routine as the most appropriate time for family devotions, and mornings as the best time for individual devotions. Routines are important for children, and quality devotional times can be looked forward to as a cap to the day. Obviously, work schedules, sleeping patterns, and multiple other variables play into the selection of the best time for devotions, but barring unusual circumstances, I think these make for the best quality times.
Second, select the location for your devotions. The “where” is not as important as the simple consistency of location, particularly for children. There is no magic here. I simply find that having a location with your reading materials, or crafts, or whatever else you will utilize during your devotions handy is helpful, and creates positive routines.
Third, determine the outline not only for your devotions but also (if you are doing family devotions) for the time leading up to those devotions. My daughters knew that bedtime began with a bath, then a snack, followed by brushing teeth and then to their bedroom for a devotion (the devotional material varied with their ages, but we focused on our oldest daughter, and then tried to explain things more fully to our youngest daughter briefly at the end of the reading or discussion). Our devotion time was followed by family prayer, which I generally led but occasionally invited our daughters to pray for a specific person or situation so they would get used to praying vocally and intentionally (Dedra led when I was unavailable). We occasionally sang a hymn or song. We followed our prayer time with a reading time. The reading time was usually not Bible based (since our devotions always were), rather, it was books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, Pilgrim’s Progress and yes, even The Hobbit when they were old enough to handle the storyline. I think I read the girls more than 100 books over their growing up years.
Fourth, include memorization. Our girls memorized Bible passages, a few answers to catechism questions, prayers and the Nicene Creed. With steady work, very little is impossible for children to memorize.
Finally, be consistent. No one can make this happen every single day or night without interruption. But do everything in your power to be consistent. Habits can be deadly, but they can also be enriching. Devotions and regular times in God’s word are worth imbedding into our lives, and the lives of our children.
I concede that there are exceptions in some lives that make setting aside time for devotions more difficult. Certainly, families that have one or more children with special needs, or a single parent trying to juggle work and child rearing can make finding free time more difficult. As a general principle, however, we make time for the important matters in our lives. Time in God’s word and intentional spiritual growth are far more important than sports, television programs, video games, “vegging out,” and even personal time. None of these practices are sinful in moderation, but when we allow them to squeeze out time in our lives for teaching and equipping our children, or praying with our spouses, or personal growth and learning, whether single or married, they can be spiritually deadening and mind-numbing. Most of us can do better. Your child may become a millionaire sports hero, but if they do not know Christ sorrow upon sorrow is compounded in their lives and the lives of godly parents.
There are no guarantees here. Some will have consistent devotions with their children for eighteen years, only to watch them reject the Lord. Others will never take time to even pray with their children, yet by God’s grace they will come to know the Lord by some other means. God’s sovereignty and human responsibility and how they mix remain a mystery to us. I have said it before, and I will now repeat it again, if this is new for you, start with five minutes a day. It will be thirty-five minutes more that you spend in the presence of the Lord this week than you did last week. That is a good start.
Questions/concerns? Please feel free to contact me or another elder, we will be happy to help!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym