How often have we neglected the means by which we are meant to grow? No I’m not talking about eating your meat and vegetables or drinking your milk. I’m talking about neglecting the spiritual milk of the Word. The nourishment of our souls through the meat of the Word. Not only this, but even prayer. Perhaps we will utter a quick, short prayer if we remember. What a tragedy to begin and end our day without spending a single moment alone with our holy triune God. This can only mean that we think we are able to survive spiritually without God. The Bible on our nightstand remains untouched and gathers dust. To quote the prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, he stated: “There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write ‘damnation’ with your fingers.” Worse yet, our souls languish and our spiritual life suffers. While God never forgets His children, we often forget Him.

Our excuse is that we are too busy. Yet, perhaps we find the time for our family worship and devotions. (I certainly hope that we do, and that as fathers we especially see to it that this is done. For it would seem that even this is becoming a lost grace within the modern believing household.) What about daily private devotions? Do we make the time for them each day? Or are we satisfied with the notion that reading the Word of God and praying as a family will suffice? Have we allowed family worship or devotions to take the place of private devotion and worship?

To claim that we are too busy is a poor excuse and a wrong one at that. For the fact of the matter is that it is precisely because we are so busy that we need, now more than ever, to have those private devotions.

I do not negate the fact that we are busy. This is true, indeed our lives are often very busy. It is also an honest evaluation that much of that busyness is legitimate, such as work outside of the home, the duties and labors of parenting, and even daily work within the home as wives and mothers. In addition to that there is extra work done by those who are part of boards, small group ministries, and more. However we need a rest from all the busyness. It is for this reason we take a day or two off work, we schedule and follow through with a vacation, and we even seek this rest in recreational activities.

We so often forget that the rest that we truly need, and need daily, is spiritual rest. This rest is what strengthens us, emboldens us and gives us the courage to go on in life. This rest is most necessary for aiding us with proper perspective and obedience to God in all of our work. Apart from that, our work is in vain. As the psalmist proclaims: “Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless Yahweh watches the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early, that you sit out late, O you who eat the bread of painful labors; for in this manner, He gives sleep to His beloved.” (Psalm 127: 1-2, LSB) In other words, this is the rest that enables our pilgrimage through this life with our Heavenly Father by our side.

When we speak of private devotions we are speaking of that time the child of God takes privately to read and study the Word of God, and privately pray. Jesus tells us in the gospel of Matthew: “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, LSB) He or she does this in addition to the time that the family, as a family, spends doing it. It is also in addition to the time spent preparing for Bible study. When speaking of children, this is done in addition to the time spent in catechism, confession, and/or creed lessons.

Private devotions are a means of worship. Whether we realize it or not, we consciously enter the presence of God to listen to Him speaking to us through His Word. In the same respect, we consciously enter His presence as we speak to Him through our prayers. Such private devotions are necessary then as they are covenant fellowship with our God.

The necessity of regular private devotions can be likened to the need of regularly eating and nourishing our bodies. One who neglects prayer and the study of the Word of God is like the person who fails to eat. Such a person through this neglect does not receive the necessary nourishment for his own physical body. It is soon after that he will become weak and sick and lose the ability to live a normal, healthy life. He won’t survive long and before long he will die.

This is applicable to us spiritually. The Word of God and prayer is the food for our souls. It is the means of nourishment and growth in the life of the child of God. Holy Scripture itself speaks to this: “And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) “Therefore, laying aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” (1 Peter 2:1-3)

To neglect the spiritual nourishment which God graciously provides is to starve our souls. What we need to do is be just as regular with our own private devotions as we are with the regular eating of food for our bodies. As Ray Comfort says: “No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed. Be like Job who ‘treasured the words of His mouth more than his necessary food’ (Job 23:12), the key is to put your Bible before your belly, to ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33).”

David did, for we see in Holy Scripture: “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:17, NKJV) Daniel did as well, for we read the following: “Now when Daniel knew that the written document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.” (Daniel 6:10, LSB) These are cases of private devotions, and each of these men decidedly did so three times a day!

Perhaps we feel that it is not necessary to have private devotions because of the hearing of a sermon on Sunday morning. We somehow manage to convince ourselves that that will be sufficient enough to carry us throughout the week. But is that really enough? Does it truly work? Is it possible for a person to physically survive with only eating once a week? Is it any different spiritually? It is not! We need regular spiritual food. We ought to desire it more than our daily physical food.

Private devotions are essential because of the uniqueness of each of our lives in this world. We each have been given a unique character, a unique calling, unique circumstances, and unique personal needs and struggles. There are always needs that arise because of sin and temptation. Some are tempted to be covetous. Some are tempted by drunkenness and/or intoxication. Some are tempted to hate a fellow saint. Then you have other struggles in life. Some struggle with depression. Some struggle from loneliness or sickness. Some struggle due to family troubles. Each of us knows our own needs and struggles.

Some of those needs and struggles are not noticeable by others, nor are they shared with others, but they are known by God. This is exactly why we must commune with Him through prayer. He is our Heavenly Father to whom we can and ought to bring all of our troubles. Scripture commands this: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, LSB)

It is through private prayer that we can voice very specifically our needs and struggles to the One whom cares for us. It allows us to vocalize even the needs and struggles that we know others in our church or families have. Not only are we able to be specific with regard to our needs, we be can be specific in regard to thanking God for His grace and help. It would be foolish of us to assume this only is applicable to the prayer portion of our private devotions. It applies just as well to our daily reading and studying of the Word of God. We are able to read, study, and meditate on the Word privately in a way that we cannot do corporately.

It is the Word of God that shows how very important the Holy Scriptures are for us. Firstly, there is the comparison of the Word of God being a lamp and a light. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, LSB) As people who live in the darkness of sin and of this wicked world, we need this lamp to guide our feet. Apart from it, we most assuredly will stumble and fall.

There is a beauty in having the Word of God as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It is that as we walk through this darkness, His Word sheds light onto a different pathway, a new and better pathway. Though darkness encompasses us, the path which we walk is guided by His Word, this is the pathway that leads to life eternal and glory.

God’s Word is also compared to a sword. “In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…) (Ephesians 6:16-18, LSB) Herein lies the implication, we are soldiers in the battle of faith. We are in spiritual warfare against great spiritual forces. It is therefore essential that we need armor, both defensive and offensive. As shown to us in the Scriptures, we are given one piece of offensive armor to fight the good fight of faith. This is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It is not enough for us to simply possess the Scriptures as our sword. We must use it in battle if we are to wage war and defend ourselves properly. This is exactly why we must make it a necessity to read, study, and meditate on the Word, so that we are made ready and equipped to use it when that time for combat arises throughout the day.

The proper use of the Bible in our private devotions does not consist of a speedily read passage and a quick prayer. To handle the Word in such a way is to be like the man who comes to the table and simply looks at the food. Without taking a single bite, he walks away and imagines that he is full. That doesn’t work with physical food, much less for spiritual food. After reading any portion of Holy Scripture we need to study it in order to understand what it means. It is only in this way that the Word of God will become food for our souls.

It is once we understand the meaning of the portion of Scripture that we can and must meditate on it. Such meditation includes many things. It is the part of our private devotions where we contemplate and reflect on the wonders of God as He reveals to us through His Word. We also consider and reflect upon the greatness of God, His marvelous works, and the depth of His grace toward us in and through Jesus Christ.

It is through meditation that we make applicable God’s Word to our own lives. We should ask ourselves: “What is it that God is teaching me in this passage concerning Himself and His glorious gospel of salvation through Christ? How should I praise Him for  this today? How can I show gratitude and express thankfulness to Yahweh for the works of His grace in me?”

Finally, Scripture memorization is an extremely profitable tool in our meditation on the Word of God. It is through reciting the Word throughout the day, that we then are able to remind ourselves of what God says to us.

In connection with our reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word, we must also pray. Prayer is essential to our spiritual welfare. It is through prayer that we have the great privilege of speaking directly to our Heavenly Father. We bring before Him all of our needs and troubles and give thanks to Him for all His blessings. It is when we do this that the Lord is pleased to give to us what we need for our spiritual life.

It is through the careful and diligent reading and studying of Holy Scripture that we are given the content for our prayers. The Scriptures also instruct us as to the blessedness and necessity of prayer. As quoted earlier, Philippians 4:6-7 tell us that prayer is the solution for worry. Instead of harming ourself through worry, we should instead pray. Instead of attempting to bear our burdens by ourselves, we are to cast our cares upon Yahweh, who cares for us. If our lives have been marked by worry, it is a telltale sign that we have not been in prayer, or at least that we have not prayed sincerely and as we ought. It is through prayer that, “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

There is so much more that could be said about the necessity of prayer as pertaining to our spiritual welfare. At the very least, let us take away this as well. Repeatedly throughout the Gospel accounts, we read that our Lord Jesus Christ prayed. He did this sometimes for hours on end. If He, the eternal, sinless Son of God in our flesh needed to do so and did so, how much more ought not we?

It is by the grace of God that the child of God does not see the reading of Holy Scripture and prayer as a mere duty. Amazingly, he desires to do this. Not only this, but he desires to be nourished by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. He desires that he can express through prayer to God his thanks and cast all his burdens upon Him. Furthermore, He desires to express through his study of Holy Scripture and through prayer to God his utter dependence upon his Heavenly Father. He seeks from God, through the Word, the blessing and leading that he knows he needs in daily life. He begins each and every day by seeking that blessing. It is throughout the day he stops frequently from the busyness of life and expresses time and time again his thankfulness and seeks the Lord’s guidance. He will end the day in heartfelt gratitude and thanksgiving to God for keeping him and guiding him throughout another day of his earthly pilgrimage. 

It is this child of God who does this, that can be compared to Enoch and Moses, who delights to walks with God. He comes to the realization that he cannot walk alone in the dark world of sin and spiritual death. He recognizes and admits that he needs the lamp and light of God’s Word to guide his steps. He leans upon God to lead and uphold him. He is ever conscious of his need for God. 

As children of God Most High we cannot not afford to set aside time every day for private devotions. It is after all our spiritual welfare, it is our life that depends upon this. Regularity is the key. If we do not set aside a  certain allotted time each day, more than likely we will not do it. We are after all creatures of habit, habit is trained through repetition. It is also good to remember, parents, that you have a responsibility in regard to your children in this. You should be instructing them concerning their personal devotions, but also modeling this for them through your lived example. 

This is not to diminish the fact that this is very difficult. It certainly requires much work and effort. But through this means, God graciously and richly blesses. So read, study, and meditate on the Word of God, and pray!