In connection with the recent Young Calvinists workshops on personal devotions, we will be posting “personal devotions testimonials” written by individuals from many different walks of life. The first is from Aaron Van Dyke, a third year seminary student with a wife and young child.
I find that if I don’t make time for devotions first thing in the morning, the busyness of life crowds out time for them later. I’ve learned through hard experience that when I don’t begin my day with the Lord, it is more difficult to live consciously before His face that day. Morning devotions recalibrate my heart ‘right out of the gate.’ Another blessing of having my devotions in the morning is that often as I go about my day, the Holy Spirit will recall to my mind snatches of Scripture that I read that morning. In this way He helps me combat sin and gives me the joy of ‘hearing’ my God’s voice. When I miss out on my morning devotions, I miss out on that.
—Your personal time with God deserves a set place in your schedule—
Some people have a hard time feeling alert enough for devotions in the morning. I tend to be that way, so I’ve developed the routine of going for a short walk before settling down with my Bible. I’m a night owl, so getting up early enough to take a walk before devotions and work isn’t always easy, but I never regret it. Feeling the breeze, hearing the birds, and getting my blood flowing puts me in the right frame of mind to spend time in the Word. Sometimes as I walk, I see how much I can remember of the Psalm or the Proverb that I read at bedtime the night before.
—Your personal time with God deserves personal preparation—
Once I’ve had my walk, shower, and breakfast, I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down at my desk with my Bible. After a short prayer that God will bless my reading, I slowly make my way through whichever chapter I am up to.
As I read, I try to mentally ‘break down’ the chapter into its various sections. If my Bible hasn’t already marked them, I’ll often mark these sections with a pencil. When I think I’ve come to the end of a section, I try to summarize its main point in a sentence or two. This helps me make sure I’m understanding what I’m reading. It also helps me to understand how what I’m reading relates to the rest of the book. Reading a section in its context is important for understanding what the Holy Spirit is saying in that section.
When I get to the end of the chapter, I meditate for a little while on how the main points of the chapter’s sections inform my 1.) knowledge of God, 2.) love for God, and 3.) service of God and His people. I’ll often walk away from a chapter with between three to six points that God wanted to impart that morning. I write these points down in a journal to help me remember them.
—Your personal time with God deserves a methodical approach—
After Bible reading comes the hardest part of my devotions: prayer. Sometimes I don’t know what to say. Sometimes my mind wanders. Often I am discouraged by the sense of my sinfulness and the inadequacy of my words. When these things happen, I’ve found it’s best to talk to God about them. Often, by recalling to mind the content of my Bible reading that morning, I’m provided with the love, the comfort, and the material that I need to pray. Praying comes easiest when I pray based on my Bible reading: God has spoken in His Word, and now in prayer I respond to the topic He picked. In this way personal devotions —which is a time of worship and supplication— also becomes the fellowship of covenantal friends.
—Your God deserves your prayers; See Proverbs 15:8 and QA 116 of the Heidelberg Cat.—
May God bless your fellowship with Him.
By Aaron Van Dyke
Young Calvinists 