Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. (Genesis 19:27, New International Version)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35, New International Version)
Theme: The Wisdom of Discipline
Title: Discipline and Daily Devotion
Reflection:
Discipline and schedules often go hand in hand. Flexibility in scheduling certainly has its place where spiritual devotion is concerned. We do not want to glorify schedules. However, the Holy Spirit has given us the tools of routines and schedules. As reflected in our Scripture passages today, there is value in designating certain times of the day for communication with God. There are two popular quotes that emphasize the importance of schedules: 1) “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done.” 2) “You can tell a person’s priorities by examining their spending accounts, their address book, and their calendar.”
Both the Old and New Testaments capture the value of schedules. The Old Testament captures a prayer practice based on routine that is still employed in Judaism. Prayers are performed three times daily: morning-Shacharit, afternoon- Mincha, and evening- Maariv. In the Book of Psalms, there is a reference to David praying 3 times a day (Psalm 55:17). The same is true for Daniel (Daniel 6:10). Shacharit comes from shachar a Hebrew word which means dawn. And our passage from Genesis captures this.
In the New Testament, Jesus woke early to find a quiet place to talk to His Father. Abraham did the same centuries earlier. Like Jesus, many believers today practice the discipline of early morning “devotions” because it sets the stage for the day and symbolizes putting God first. Of course, we have the liberty to communicate with God whenever it is optimal to do so.
Conclusion:
Schedules and flexibility are both tools that the Holy Spirit makes available for our spiritual devotions. However, without the discipline of a routine/schedule often there is no time spent with God. Consider the practice of praying 3 times a day for the rest of Lent. You may find it helpful to meditate on specific verses during each session. For example, I have used the following Scripture passages in the past: morning (Numbers 6:24-26); afternoon (Psalm 105:4); and evening (Psalm 121:4).
Do you find a schedule for daily devotions helpful? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Contributor: Bridget Jeffries
March 13, 2025 at 1:39 am
Yes I do find a schedule very helpful. While I tend to stay up late at night I tend to still do best having my quiet time on the AM.
Going off into the day with the usual activities without the AM quiet time leaves me with the “something is missing feeling”
March 13, 2025 at 3:04 am
A schedule for daily devotions is definitely helpful. I try to start my day reading from my bible, or from a devotional, before I even get out of bed. It takes discipline and commitment, especially if your morning routine is sometimes hectic and unpredictable (work).
I talk to God throughout the day. It helps me to remember “He’s got me.”
March 13, 2025 at 6:50 am
I’ve always been a scheduler from my first child to now my grand child. So definitely I schedule my devotional times. A schedule makes me feel accomplished and keeps me accountable. However I can get very hard on myself sometimes if things inhibit parts of my schedule especially my quiet time and those times it gives me the feeling of inadequacy, and failure before God and that’s when I think it could be counterproductive. In those times I remind myself that my Father is more interested in my on going relationship through the day with Him than a specific time slot that I missed and the whole day isn’t a loss because of that.
March 13, 2025 at 2:13 pm
Very much agree with all of the comments so far. A schedule is very helpful for me, but we must hold it looser than the reason we do devotions in the first place (to grow in our relationship with Him) at those times when flexibility would be beneficial. My strong preference is to routinely start the day with Him. But there are still challenges to manage, such as when we travel and stay with people (and even phone distractions). As always, the tools (here, schedule) are useful, but still require discipline.
March 13, 2025 at 9:30 pm
Yes, it is helpful to schedule your daily devotion , but praying for me is anytime. Even while I was riding my bicycle going to gym, I sometimes say a prayer of thanksgiving and praise. Of course it’s always a part of my morning to talk to God and be grateful for a new day once my eyes opened. Devotional is good for me to do in the morning on my bed. It sets my day and really helps me feel that I’m starting the day with the Lord with me, guiding and protecting me. I also say a little prayer after seeing off my husband by the door when he goes to work in the morning. My prayers can be very short or long depending on the time I’m talking to God. Sometimes I will suddenly remember a prayer request of one friend, so right there , and then, I would start praying. It is true that if you have a relationship with the Lord, He will be in your thoughts and heart the whole day. Being grateful always no matter what your circumstances maybe is helpful, and makes everything smooth in scheduling devotional time, prayer time and even scheduling the time for my ministry work ( teaching at Toddlers’ Sunday School , leading a weekly bible study, doing volunteer work in the community, going to gym and many other activities during the week). There were also days where I just want to listen to worship songs or Christian songs. This doesn’t mean I loose track of my schedule , but being random at times when you sense the Holy Spirit nudging you to pray, sing or simply reflect on his Word is still considered good timing.
March 16, 2025 at 6:36 am
Thank you all for your thoughts, experiences and suggestions. I agree that my daily devotion time to start my day is best. This time really ensures that I thank God for waking me up and ask for his blessing and guidance as I start a new day. I agree with Paul that when I don’t, I feel like something is missing. My weekly scheduled Small Group and Men’s Bible Study meetings greatly enhance my journey with the Lord.