The Importance Of Prayer In Daily Devotionals

One of the simplest yet most challenging habits for a Christian to build into their daily life is the habit of ‘daily reverence’ or ‘quiet time’. Growing up in a church youth group, I often heard sermons about the importance of daily devotions. As a result, in my late teens, I began to get into the habit of daily setting aside a specific amount of time for intentional prayer and Bible reading.

Over the past decade, as I have experienced the ups and downs of this daily devotional discipline, I can honestly say that a daily devotional routine can be both extremely effective and, at times, extremely difficult. towel!

Introduction to daily devotions

The idea of ​​setting aside time each day to intentionally seek God is a good one. It can be a helpful habit for us to build in our lives, and it can produce some wonderful fruit in our walk with the Lord. However, like any habit in life, we can sometimes end up following our daily worship routine for all the wrong reasons.

Habits themselves are not bad. In fact, many spiritual rhythms and habits can be really helpful and edifying. They can play an important role in developing our faith and walk with God. Habits such as prayer, generosity, going to church, and spending time regularly with other Christians can be an important foundation of our faith. However, when it comes to our daily worship routine, we have to be really careful not to fall into the trap of just taking time aside to tick the religious box.

One of the keys to keeping our daily prayer sessions alive and vibrant is to remind ourselves that the ultimate goal is a deeper intimacy with God. The result of our daily prayer and Bible reading should be a closer relationship with God. We should see the fruit of a life that more clearly reflects the influence of Jesus on our lives.

The importance of prayer in daily devotions

In particular, prayer is an integral part of our daily devotional activities because it is a regular way of communicating with God. Prayer is one of the primary means by which we can communicate with God, giving Him our thanks, petitions, and requests, and listening to Him directly. It is an exercise that we should try to do regularly.

As we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we must: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Praying without ceasing seems like an impossible task, and it really is! But nonetheless we are encouraged to build a life of prayer; a life where communication with God is not an unusual pastime but a regular habit through which we grow in our relationship with Him. Praying during our daily devotions is a great way to establish this habit. It is a useful tool to build a solid foundation of prayer in our lives.

How to pray

So, what does building this prayer habit into our daily devotions look like?

Well, for each person, the daily prayer routine will naturally be different. God created each of us as unique individuals. As a result, we all interact with God in our own unique way. God also speaks to us personally, and we hear from God in our own way.

However, while everyone’s prayer life is unique, there are a few things that can help us develop a prayer life. Here are three helpful tips to keep in mind as you review your prayer habits.

1. Start somewhere. If you are unsure of how to pray or don’t know where to start, the best advice is to start praying. Simply start talking to God in your own words and trust that He will start talking to you.
2. Be honest. As best you can, pray from a place of vulnerability and be honest. God can handle your true thoughts and He wants you to be truly honest and vulnerable with Him.
3. Remember that your identity is in Christ. Whether your prayer life turns out to be good or bad, remember that prayer is not the means by which God makes us worthy. We are not justified by our faithfulness nor by our unfaithfulness. God does not judge us by how often we pray to Him. We are children of God, and our identity is primarily in Him, not in our religious activity.

Examples of prayers

Sometimes it can be helpful to get some inspiration on specific things to pray about during our daily devotions. Here are a few ideas:

1. Prayers from the Bible. The Bible contains several prayers that we can read and recite in our own prayer lives. Jesus taught His disciples the famous Our Father in Matthew 6:9-13. You can also find other prayers throughout the New Testament, such as in Colossians 1:9-12 and Ephesians 3:14-21. Read through them in your quiet time and pray them for your own life.
2. Write your own prayer. Instead of just saying it out loud when you pray, why not write down your prayers? This can be a helpful exercise in thinking deeply about your life and presenting your needs and considerations to God. Sometimes writing down our prayers can be a helpful step in drawing us closer to God.
3. Use the Glorify app. The content on the Glorify App has been curated to strengthen your devotion to God. If you’re not sure how to start praying, you can start by trying guided meditation or audio prayer on the app.

Prayer is a lifelong adventure that God invites us to enter. It is an exciting journey of discovery through which we grow in relationship with God. So while we can easily get caught up in prayer formulas and habits, may we always remember the beautiful simplicity of fellowship with God. It is a miracle that we can talk to God every day. And what a wonderful God we serve that He wants to talk to us too! He is inviting you today to a place intimate with Him.

Pascal Debrunner’s photo on Unsplash