How to Choose a devotional for the new year is a topic among my friends these days.
Some are debating and seeking a specific word from God for them this year, too.
There’s something about the start that makes us consider our options and wonder what they should be.
The calendar is fresh, what should spiritually undergird our year?
Amazon.com currently lists “over 100,000” devotional book options.
I’ve written a lot about devotionals, their history, their writing, their organizations.
Here are five ideas about how to choose a devotional.
What are you looking for in a devotional?
The majority of people in the world for the last 500 years have read the Bible itself as a devotional book.
A Bible-based devotional is a way to read a prescribed snippet without actually having to locate a Bible.
Most are curated and often focus on a theme.
But they all use a Bible passage–short or long–to set the theme.
Good examples are the classics My Utmost for His Highest, Daily Light on the Daily Path, Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening.
How much time do you have?
has charming pictures!
When you choose a devotional, it’s helpful to be realistic about the amount of time you have to read and to think about the words.
While God’s word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11), it doesn’t go “deep” if you don’t apply it to your life.
For that reason, a devotional featuring a shorter Bible verse might be more helpful in terms of consistency.
Devotion writers know this, of course, and to keep the size manageable, generally have only one day per page. A good devotional generally runs between 250-400 words in length.
Where will you read the devotional?
If you’re looking for a devotional to read while you’re commuting, for example, you might want a book small enough to carry in a bag.
I have a copy of My Utmost for His Highest that measures 4 x 7 inches.
Portals of Prayer is available for free at my church in a quarterly magazine.
But, you can also choose a devotional that can be read on your phone.
The list is endless but includes Portals of Prayer, The Upper Room (international, published in many languages), Our Daily Bread, and all the previously mentioned devotionals.
Choose a devotional based on a theme?
Lettie Cowman wrote several devotionals which center around themes. Streams in the Desert, for example, served as a reminder that God provides refreshment and life even in seemingly barren hopelessness.
reading can’t be denied!
Consolation, according to Lettie, was “addressed to those whose hearts have been storm-swept . . . after a bereavement.”
Both Cowman devotionals are meaningful for people caught in challenging circumstances.
My friend Rachel Dodge recently published devotionals based on the writings of Jane Austen and one pulling spiritual truths out of Anne of Green Gables.
40-day devotionals often interest readers look at specific ideas or themes.
Devotional books written by author friends
A number of my friends write devotionals, and several write for specific audiences.
Encountering God’s Heart for You by Diane Stortz. The book focuses on 365 devotions that follow the Bible from Genesis through Revelation.
All God’s Creatures: Daily Devotions for Animal Lovers from Guideposts. The book shows how “God uses the beautiful creatures in our world to deepen our connection to Him in astonishing and profound ways.”
My Time with God: 15-Minute Devotions for the Entire Year by Amanda and Stephen Sorenson.
How about one that includes activities?
The One Year Daily Acts of Friendship: 365 Days to Finding, Keeping, and Loving Your Friends by Kristin Demery, Julie Fisk, and Kendra Roehl.
How do I choose a devotional?
I’m still reading, thinking, and writing about My Utmost for His Highest and Streams in the Desert.
I’ll be spending more time in Streams in the Desert this year, learning more about Lettie Cowman.
And, of course, seeing new ways of looking at God–which is the real point.
Happy reading!
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Denison’s Forum is a great source. Jim’s cultural devotions, 1st 15 by Greg and Jane also has a weekly blog.
Thanks, Kay, I’ll look up Denison’s Forum.
Thankful to read this post as I am considering what to use in this new year. I started reading the devotions in Dancing in the Desert (Chris Tiegreen) last night. I think that is one resource I will use as I read through the Bible with our church plan for this year.
Another devotional to examine! Isn’t it wonderful so many are out there to choose from?
My mind is like a manic squirrel
loosed from wheel and cage,
set free now to dance and twirl
through God’s Word on the page
of many a devotional,
that ‘lucidates God’s love and will,
but immersion’s merely notional
because my brain just won’t sit still,
and so I have now quite a few,
places marked with old receipts
which is the best that I can do
for when I try to keep
my mind upon the straight and narrow,
I…oh, boy, look, there flies a sparrow!
How does this work, Andrew? Does your poetry just spring fully-formed from your brain!
Oh, wait, I think I see a squirrel! (Maybe that’s MY problem!)
Michelle, I honestly don’t know how it works. I read a ‘hook’, and type a response. Is it a God thing? Some say Yes; I really don’t know. Certainly I’m not a writer, or (mega-cringe!) ‘wordsmith’. Barb says ‘thug’ is the best description, so I have to just leave it in the Mystery.
It is fun, though.
I’ve tried a few devotionals through the years and personally have never found them helpful, though I know they are helpful for many. Did want to caution about “Jesus Calling,” though. Apparently the publisher has decided to tone down her claims of hearing straight from God and the book basically being new revelation, but it and the related books are uniquely unhelpful (and dangerous) because of that mindset of writing new Scripture.
You’re right, Cheryl. I, too, am leery of Jesus Calling.