5 Easy Ways to Enhance Your Devotional Time
Have you ever gotten to the end of your Bible reading time and realized you have no idea what you just read? Have you ever wondered, how to make the few minutes you have to spend with God count? Has someone ever shared with you that they had the most amazing prayer experience and you were left wondering what that even means?
Me too.
I have been practicing spiritual disciplines regularly for over 10 years now and, even though I’m a huge advocate for people spending more intentional time with God and I regularly help others set-up God-focused devotional practices in their own lives, I too fall into slumps. Sometimes I find it hard to focus on the words of Scripture, fail to allocate the time, and, even when I do show up, I sometimes find myself rushing through my devotional time as if my relationship with God was just an item on my to-do list. We all find ourselves in a slump from time to time, but I’ve recently introduced a couple of things into my devotional rhythm that has greatly enhanced my daily time with God and I want to share them with you.
The Power of Creating Space
In an inter-disciplinary training I recently attended, I learned about this idea of creating space. In the context that the training was addressing, we talked about the power of creating and holding space for those with whom we are interacting. The summary from that training was this: When we intentionally construct an atmosphere of purpose and focus, we can more effectively connect and be present with the person in front of us. My instructor went on to talk through a bunch of tangible ways to create space, I took copious amounts of notes, but when the training was over I was a bit skeptical and not sure where in the current cultural moment I would use these “face to face” skills. I continued to ponder the training and, while reflecting on that time, I thought it would be interesting to try creating an intentional space while doing my devotions. Long story made short, I could have never guessed how influential these five simple preparatory actions would end up being in my devotional life. So, without further ado…
5 Simple Ways to Create Devotional Space
1) Disconnect
This one is the most obvious item on the list. But I’ve been extra intentional with this step recently and it has made a huge difference. When I am getting ready for my devotional time, I take off my smartwatch and turn both my phone and smartwatch to silent mode. I then place them across the table from where I’m at and—here’s the difference-maker—I turn them both screen down. You may have much more self-control then I do, but even when they are on silent, I am still distracted by the screen lighting up and notification flittering across the screen. I have found that it is much easier for me to focus on whatever spiritual practice I have planned for the day when my phone and watch screens are face down. An extra benefit of this practice is that I also focus a lot less on time spent. If you have an appointment coming up, I’d recommend setting a timer on your phone before setting it facedown. But without the constant reminder of time, I bet that you will be shocked at how fast time flies when you are practicing presence during your devotional time.
2) Find a Consistent Place
For anyone who has shifted to working from home during this pandemic, you’ve probably noticed that working at the makeshift desk in your bedroom seems to be less productive and trying to fall asleep in the same room that you now also work in has probably become more difficult. We are creatures of habit, way down into our bones, and place has an incredible impact on our focus. When we enter a space, our bodies begin to prepare themselves for the activities that usually happen therein. So, whether it’s at the kitchen table or in one of your favorite chairs, an important part of creating a devotional space is regularly returning to a consistent place for your devotional time. I find that sitting crosslegged on the carpet leaning against the couch has become one of the easiest places to focus because I don’t do anything else in that space. Side note: If you regularly try to pray or read your Bible in bed, take hope in knowing that it’s not your fault that you can’t stay awake. You’ve quite literally conditioned your body to fall asleep when it’s in bed. But, now that you know, you might want to find another local for your devotional time.
3) Light a Candle
Have you ever caught a whiff of apple pie as you walked by a restaurant and been transported back to a happy family holiday moment? As humans, our olfactory (smelling) system is one of our strongest senses. It helps us better understand what’s going on around us, it impacts how things taste, and as we just saw above, smells often transport us through time to different moments of the past. So naturally, scent is one of the most powerful parts of creating space. When I started playing around with different ways to create space for my devotional time, the first thing I did was add a candle. Now, lighting that candle and breathing in its aroma is part of my devotional ritual and because I associate its smell with my devotional time, as soon as the wick begins to heat the wax, a sense of calm washes over me. Find a scented candle and light it in preparation to hear from God. Once that becomes part of your rhythm, you will be shocked by the impact it has on your devotional time.
4) Play Calming music
Speaking of our senses, think for a minute about the impact of sound on your atmosphere. Have you ever watched a scary movie and turned off the sound? Without sound, the suspense decreases exponentially. Have you noticed that when you go to a restaurant with live music, the dinner seems better? Have you noticed that when you workout to a driving beat, your performance increases? There is just something about music that really sets the tone for the activity at hand. Similarly, to create a focused and peaceful environment for my devotional time, I put on my noise-canceling headphones or turn on my Bluetooth speaker, and play a calming playlist. I prefer instrumental tracks for my devotional time, but once in a while I listen to worship music and spend my devotional time singing along. Everything on this list is about creating routine and atmosphere. Music is a big step in helping to set the stage to focus on God.
If you are looking for a playlist, here’s a link to the Spotify playlist that I listen to every day.
5) Begin with a Prayer of Centering
So you’ve disconnected from technology, you’re sitting in your new favorite spot, the aroma of your candle is beginning to strengthen and fill the space, and the soft movement of music surrounds you. You’ve prepared a space. Now, before you open your devotional, prayer journal, or Bible, take a moment to center yourself at the moment, so that you can be fully present with God.
Take a long breath in…. Hold it…. Let it out.
Breathe in…. Hold it…. Breathe out.
One more time. Breathe in… Hold it… Breath out.
As you breathe, allow the worries, to-dos, and responsibilities flow out and breathe in the peace and love of God.
Then, say a prayer of invitation. The goal is just to invite God to be present with you, meet you where you are, and reveal something to you. If you are looking for some words to try out, here’s my short daily prayer of invitation:
“Holy Spirit come. Fill me and fill this space. Lord God come. Teach me and reveal to me the ways I can be more like your Son. Jesus come. Shower me with your love and transform me into the person I was created to be.”
That’s it. Five easy and quick steps that have revitalized my own devotional time and I hope they will encourage and bolster yours as well.
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Finally, if you are looking to learn more about practicing spiritual disciplines, check out this free book that I wrote to help guide you into a more robust spiritual life with God.