An extremely helpful habit I have learned is to ask myself this question each December: “How will I read God’s Word over the next year?” This question forces me to reflect on my devotional life over the last year. It also pushes me to prayerfully consider how I need to meditate on God’s Word in the next year to keep my devotional time with the Lord fresh.

It would be safe to argue that spiritual warfare rages around the spiritual disciplines of reading the Word and spending time in prayer. The flesh definitely resists any attempt we make to “be still” and focus on our God. The world vies for our attention and distracts us from quieting our souls before the Lord and being renewed into His image (Rom 12:1-2). Beyond this, it would seem that Satan aggressively seeks to steer believers away from God’s truth and communing with Him, for the Word and prayer are our spiritual armor to resist him with (Eph 6:10-20).

The Importance of Creativity

Beyond the reality of spiritual warfare surrounding a believer’s devotional time with God, I believe there is one major practical reason why many Christians struggle. For many, devotional time suffers from a lack of creativity. It seems this might be especially true for those who have been believers in Jesus Christ for more than a few years. Devotional ruts can make the devotional pathway challenging. Some of us just need to start experimenting a bit.

Reading the Bible straight through as it is printed from Genesis to Revelation can easily become old, even too predictable. Prayer through an unchanging prayer list day in and day out can be quite dry. I would like to help us stir our creative juices a bit and offer some practical ideas for keeping our devotional time fresh. While personality will come to play in what we enjoy more or less, we all need options.

Meditating on God’s Word

  • Become aware of the many Bible reading plans easily available online (Bible Study Tools, Bible Gateway, Blue Letter Bible).
  • Read the Bible straight through, Genesis to Revelation.
  • Read the Bible straight through, Genesis to Revelation, in one calendar year.
  • Read the Bible through chronologically, reading each book as it was written in chronological order (This is my favorite plan, though I don’t do it every year).
  • Read through the Bible but always include a Psalm on your daily reading.
  • Add one or more verses from Proverbs to your daily reading.
  • Read a chapter or two from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament every day.
  • Read the Bible’s literary categories one at a time or alternate between them each day (history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom).
  • Read the Bible through aggressively (in 40 days, binge-reading the Bible).
  • Read shorter books in one sitting, re-reading them daily for a period of time.
  • Read Scripture while also listening to the audio recording or narration.
  • Listen to the Bible being read, even the same passage multiple times over.
  • Focus your slow meditation and study on a book or books that you are especially interested in while reading quickly through the rest of Scripture.
  • Read through the Bible with a theme or themes that you would like to trace as you read each day (such as God’s promises, truth versus lies, God’s character, etc).
  • Use a study Bible and read the notes that coincide with your daily Bible reading (MacArthur Study Bible, ESV Study Bible).
  • If your pastor is currently teaching through a book of the Bible, or your small group is studying a book, keep your primary devotional meditations on that book while reading more quickly through the rest of Scripture.
  • Read the Old Testament through once, the New Testament through twice, in a one- or two-year plan.
  • Create your own Bible reading plan each year.
  • Use a different Bible translation than what you are used to for your daily reading.
  • Meditate on God’s Word undistracted for a set period of time each day.
  • Take simple notes each day about what you read.
  • Select a key verse from your reading and highlight it and share it with others.
  • Read the Bible out loud.
  • Write or type out books of the Bible.
  • In addition to your Bible reading, use short devotional readings designed to supplement your Bible reading (Morning and Evening by Spurgeon, Everyday Gospel).
  • Participate in a Bible reading group where everyone is reading the same plan and encouraging one another with what is read.
  • Read the Bible in different settings (indoor, outdoor, quiet places, in a public settings).
  • If married, use the same Bible reading plan to encourage regular discussion about God and His Word.

Prayer

  • Use a pattern for your daily prayers, such as one of these acrostics: P-R-A-Y (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) or A-C-T-S (Adore, Confess, Thanksgiving, Supplication).
  • Pray through a Psalm each day.
  • Pray about your daily reading, applying it to yourself (meditation).
  • Pray before, during, and after your Bible reading about what you are meditating on.
  • Use what you have read in Scripture to guide your prayers for others.
  • Pray through hymns and spiritual songs.
  • Pray silently or out loud.
  • Try different postures in prayer: standing with hands raised, bowed to the ground, seated covering your face with your hands, etc.
  • Write out your prayers for better concentration.
  • Pray while walking or jogging.
  • Pray outdoors for the purpose of reminding yourself of God’s creation.
  • Use a prayer app that allows you to input requests and manipulate how requests are given to you each day (PrayerMate).
  • Keep a prayer journal and make note of how God answers individual prayers.
  • Use a literal prayer closet (war room) or specific place for special prayer.
  • Make use of the Susanna Wesley method: the apron over your head in the midst of a room full of children.
  • Pray through collections of prayers written by others to assist God’s people in prayer (The Valley of Vision, Piercing Heaven, Pathway to Prayer)
  • Use what you read in devotional books to inform prayer (What I am using now this way: A Gospel Primer for Christians, The Suffering Savior).
  • Take special note of the character of God in your Bible reading and center your praise on that for today.
  • Listen to reverent Christian music and pray the songs to God as you listen.
  • When struggling to pray, find someone to pray with.

It may take creativity in our devotional time to better “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

If you have any more practical suggestions for daily Bible reading and prayer that aren’t listed above, please share them!