Personal Devotions

 Personal Devotions


This little paper is designed for those saints of Christ's church who sincerely desire to spend daily time with God, but who simply do not know how to do this in a systematic or structured way.  (I am sure you do "spend time" with your God in prayer--but you may be a bit frustrated in not enjoying the full benefits of this as you would prefer.)

 

Before I start, I would like to address what I perceive to be the two categories of people who (actually) set out to have some form of consistent prayer time with God.  The first group is that of those listed above, who love God in Jesus Christ, and want to get good time with Him on a daily basis.  The other assemblage are those people who want to do something on a routine basis out of guilt or duty (alone).  (All the true saints do have a pleasurable "duty" to commune with their Heavenly Father often--but, for them, this is in no way a grudging or despised "duty.")

 

I plan to share with you basically what I personally do; and you can tweak your own plan according to what works best for you (and your life circumstances/schedules).  First of all, I think to myself, "Wow, I cannot wait for the morning to come--so that I can put on a pot of coffee, and get ready to spend time with my Triune God." . . .

 

Then, when the morning dawns, I find a quiet secluded space (my office in our house); and, after a prayer of praise, I begin to read the Bible.  For probably well over 30 years now, I have been employing "M'Cheyne's Calendar for Daily Readings."  It works well for me, but you may find any number of other reading plans to be more tailored to you.  (On Sundays, I have my own special readings that are particularly helpful to get me ready for ministry on The Lord's Days.)

 

Then, after reading the Holy Scriptures, I begin to pray.  Personally, for me, I like my prayer time to be mostly spontaneous, but also anchored by petitions for other people (and concerns) in such a way, that I feel like I have had a very personal time with God--while, at the same time, I fulfill my happy obligation to pray for others.

 

I do think it is well for us, God's saints of Christ's church, to seek to be as "real" and "authentic" and "free" and "full" in our prayers to our Heavenly Father as we can possibly be.  Yes; we should have our prioritized list of people for whom we are praying; but, simultaneously, we should have liberty to add anything to our prayers, as the Holy Spirit leads us.

 

In praying for people on earth, (the only ones who should be prayed for [by the way]), I have always taught that we should start with the true saints of the church.  They are the ones nearest and dearest to God's heart; and they are the ones in most need (since their lives are threatened by Satan and evil people every moment).  Amongst the saints, we should start, in my view, with those in the church who are closest to us.  In other words, are you married to a churchman?  Then, pray for him or her first.  Then, working out from there, bring family members who are in Christ to the throne of grace, from the vantage point of those who are nearest to you (in your family).  From there, pray for your church's officers: pastor(s), elders, deacons; and then lift up the whole parish before the Lord--especially remembering those with known and great needs.  (If you are a Presbyterian minister, be sure to pray, as a matter of high priority, for your fellow-presbyters.)

 

Then, offer prayers for lost people.  Do not be shy to pray for God's elect, that He will bring them into the Kingdom (church) of Jesus.  (This is a prayer that God always answers; and we are honored to be able to share this ministry with the Holy Spirit, who will call His elect to Jesus at the proper and due time.)

 

In your prayers offer a lot of thanks.  Acknowledge your utter sinfulness in yourself.  Confess known sin; and ask God to give you a broken contrite heart of repentance.  Go as "low" as you can in your prayers; knowing that God your Father will lift you "up," in His good time.

 

Also, it is good to pray--not only for the church's ministry and ministers--but for the civil magistrates as well.

 

As best as you can conceive of it, bring the whole world to God in prayer.  Ask your Heavenly Father to revive Christ's true church; and to spread the gospel all around the globe--especially on The Lord's Days.

 

Conclude your prayers with thanks and praise.  Do not hesitate to raise your hands to God in praise.  Sometimes this is a very liberating experience.

 

Find for yourself what is the ideal time of the day to give God your very best.  Remember: as you do this, He will give you far more than you could ever ask or imagine (all in Jesus).

 

I like Mark 1:35 as a principled guide for daily devotions; and, even if you are not one to be able to have your time with God in the morning--you should find your optimal timespan and give it to your Heavenly Father.  You will never regret doing this.

 

If you are regenerate in Jesus Christ, then you will desire this time with your Heavenly Father.  I hope my thoughts are helpful for you, as you discover your own best situation of enjoying the glorious presence of our great and good God--all in and through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Rev. Mark J. Henninger

Treatise #124

1 August 2026

 

https://theologicaltreatisesinretirement.blogspot.com

https://henningerdevotions.blogspot.com

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