We all know that usually the hardest bit of any task is getting started. Whether it be cleaning the house, packing for holiday, writing an essay or going for a run. Once you get going it’s okay; the getting going is the hardest bit. And so it is with prayer, the hardest thing is getting started.
At Christ City Church we want to be a ‘praying community’ who delights in God, relies fully on him and establishes a rhythm of prayer individually and corporately. On the first Wednesday of each month we have a prayer and worship night, so do join us for that, more details can be found here.
In this blog post I simply want to give you a number options (including some digital options – see below) of how you can get started. They are simple and practical and will hopefully help you get over the hardest part of prayer…which is starting!
- My Rock and Refuge: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. I think this is the best resource for getting going with daily prayer. It will take 10-15minutes a day.
- God’s Wisdom for navigating life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Proverbs. Another superb book by the Kellers. I have done it twice through (in consecutive years!) because it so good.
- Scripture Union Daily Devotions. This is what I grew up on and they’re really straight forward and very helpful. There are 2 options – . Daily Bread is the lightest option, Encounter with God is a bit meatier and then they have 40 day guides on different books (e.g Mark or John). The model is very simple; you are given a passage of scripture to read, a short reflection and then some pointers with regards to prayer and application. You can get the encounter with God daily notes in your email each day, so do sign up.
- Everyday light with Selwyn Hughes – short scripture reading, reflection, prayer and application question (15mins time needed) and you can sign up for this into your inbox. There are other CWR resources you can buy, including the famous ‘everyday with Jesus‘
- Praying with the Psalms: A year of daily prayers and reflection on the word of David (Eugene Peterson) – a brilliant devotional book which takes you 10 minutes each day.
- God’s Prayer Book:The power and pleasure of praying the Psalms (Ben Paterson) – a more thorough look at how to pray through the Psalms with dozens of suggestions of how to use different Psalms. This will require 15-20 minutes a day.
- Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (CH Spurgeon). An old classic which will give you a nice thought at the beginning and end of every day that you can use for prayer. This will require 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening.
- My utmost to the highest: One of the most famous daily devotional that has helped million with daily worship, by Oswald Chambers
- Everyday Prayers: 365 days to gospel centred faith (Scotty Smith). This is a super helpful book that gives you a prayer a day and links the prayer to Jesus. You can also follow along on Scotty Smith’s blog
- John for everyone (Tom Wright) – Wright has done a great job of writing devotional Bible studies on different books of the New Testament. You read a short passage (in his translation) and then a 2-3 page reflection. You can then use this to come to God in prayer.
- Expository Thought on the gospels (J.C Ryle) – a helpful verse by verse devotional commentary, with great insights and application, without getting too long. Slightly more meaty than the other options on this list.
- The Daily Message (Eugene Petersen) – many people find this interpretation/translation of the bible very readable and a great way to understand what the author was trying to convey. This book is split into 365 pages, so you can read a bit everyday and complete the whole bible in one year.
- Robbert Murray McCheyne Reading Plan – this is a VERY famous bible reading plan that people have used for years. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and it will require discipline and hard work to complete.
As you can see, from all of these I suggest you start with some scripture (whether a Psalm or a chapter of a book) and then turn to pray. When you pray, I was taught a model called ACTS when I was very young and I still find it helpful.
A – Adoration: What is there in this passage which makes me worship and praise God? What part of his character has been drawn to my attention (his love or holiness or mercy etc)?
C – Confession: What in this passage causes me to confess my sin and rebellion? Is it pride or selfishness or a certain sin from within the last 24 hours?
T – Thanks: What in this passage (or in the last week) causes me to thank God for what he has done in my life? How has he provided, taught or led me?
S – Supplication: This is a fancy word for asking God for things that you, those around you or the wider world need (e.g daily bread, strength in a relationship, wisdom, peace etc).
Digital Options
The Bible App & Digitally
Finally, many of you will prefer something on your phone or tablet, so here are some options
- Get The Bible App which is great for reading or listening to the bible
- In the Bible App start with ReThink Life: 40 Day Devotional
- Then a very old class is Peace: Life In The Spirit by Oswald Chambers
- Check out lots of other bible reading plans
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If you want to watch the bible being read as a story, with animation, check out https://www.youtube.com/user/
jointhebibleproject and https://jointhebibleproject. com/ -
Female specific – She Reads Truth has an app – and is also on android
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Male specific – He Reads Truth also has an app
For more resources check our Life Group resources page which has a whole host of other ideas.
Hopefully that is helpful and will get you started. Do make other suggestions and if you have any questions, do post them, especially if they are digital options you have enjoyed.
If you would like someone to pray with you do get in contact with our prayer team or submit your prayer request
