The act of spending time with God, reflecting on what’s going on around us and then re-focusing back on God is what we mean when we say devotions or prayer. It could be a time of quiet reflection, a chat with God, a recited text that celebrates faith, a shared insight, a reading from the Bible and more. These are all ways that one can intentionally and meaningfully deepen one’s personal relationship with God.
As we are all different and each have a unique relationship with God, there is no one-size-fits-all method of devotion that will work for everyone. It would also be true to say that no one method would be suitable all the time. Therefore feel free to experiment until you find the right time of the day, length of time and method that helps you feel connected to God.
Collected here are some ideas as well as resources that can help you get started on your own devotional and prayer life.
Devotional and Prayer Methods
| Getting Started With Prayer A short article with some thoughts about what Jesus said prayer was and how we can get started with the practice of regular prayer and devotions |
Martin Luther On Prayer
Martin Luther shared his method of prayer with his barber when the latter asked him how he prayed |
| Lectio Divina
An ancient practice where through reading, reflecting, responding and resting in the Scriptures, one’s relationship with God is nourished and deepens |
The Examen
The Examen is a practice where we try to find the movement of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives as we reflect on our day |
Devotional and Prayer Resources
| Daily GodPause
Short, meaningful reflections based on Scripture readings from the Lectionary for the coming Sunday |
Upper Room Daily Devotional A daily devotional to encourage people to spend time with God each day through prayer, scripture reading, and meditation |
| Devotions from ELCA
A collection of daily and weekly devotions compiled by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
Sacred Space
An prayer site with daily reflections based on the Revised Common Lectionary |
| Sacred Gateway
A 10 minute interactive experience of the reflections from Sacred Space that invites you to spend time in God’s presence |
The Online Labyrinth
A mixture of rituals and visuals, of contemplative words and contemporary ambient music, of symbols and media to help guide your encounter with God |
