When is the best time to have a Devotional?

Before answering this question, we are wise to examine some relevant biblical data. You see, as I often like to say, what we want or believe is usually, just the opposite too what the Bible says. My point being, that we should just not say what we think, or what we have heard, but what we know the Bible teaches. Alright, that’s enough preaching.

The Bible records that Jesus prayed early in the morning on at least one occasion (Mark 1:35), and it may have been His regular habit. Acts 10:9 mentions a situation in which Peter prayed at about noon (“sixth hour”). “Toward evening” Isaac went out in the field “to meditate” (Gen. 24:63). Before Christ chose the twelve apostles, He “went off to a mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Wow, when was the last time you did that – or have you ever? Again, Daniel, like David, prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10–11).

Therefore Scripture does not indicate a best time for devotions in the twenty-four-hour cycle. And some of these instances may not refer to a daily prayer practice. For example, Jesus did not spend every night in prayer. So God gives us freedom—and we should give other people the same freedom—to choose the best time for daily devotions. There will even be days that we don’t do a “daily” devotion – ahhh! I’m just telling you from my own experience, and when I was in the Army running around in the jungles of South America, I can tell you I didn’t have a “daily” devotion as we might define it.

Anyway, individuals have differences in their biological clocks, which may also influence one’s choice of time for daily devotions. Some Christians are “morning persons” (that’s me & my wife and kids never have gotten used to it); we are wide awake when we first arise and we function well in early morning hours. Others are like owls; they are more energetic and alert in the evening than during the day. Wise Christians will choose the time of day for devotions when they are most alert, undistracted, and free from their work schedule. Therefore you should give God the best time feasible in your daily schedule for your daily devotions. If you try to squeeze devotions into your leftover time, you probably will have little or no time at all, or it will be a poor time. Besides, I believe that you would agree that He deserves our very best and not leftovers.

Biblical examples also give believers the option to have two or more special times with the Lord each day. These more frequent times would normally be briefer periods than a single period for a daily devotional. Meeting with the Lord several times each day could be the best arrangement for a person with a heavy administrative schedule such as Daniel evidently had. A busy executive might desire to seek the Lord several times a day about decisions, problems, and difficult relationships. These special times with the Lord can recharge a person spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, resulting in more effective Christian living and growth. I personally would spend a portion of my lunch time to not only pray and thank the Lord for the food, but also took that time to praise Him being an awesome God, confess where I have failed Him in my work, pray for others that I worked with, my own needs, and to thank Him for all that He has done for me and for providing me a good job.

Christians who do not have their devotional time early in the morning should still take time to commit themselves, their family, and their daily activities to the Lord before they begin the day. I also use an early morning period to review Bible memory verses, which seems to get harder to do as the years go by, but also it’s to meditate on the truths reviewed. Then in the late afternoon or early evening folks will have their Bible reading, prayer, and other devotional activities. I would also encourage you to have a brief time of prayer together as husband and wife to acknowledge the Lord in praise and worship, to take your major concerns to Him, and to seek His blessing on your lives and activities for the day.

Each Christian needs to determine the best time to set aside each day for devotions and then follow that schedule. Emergency adjustments in the schedule for devotions are understandable. We should not consider lapses in our devotional practice as final failures since God can restore us and our devotional time to even greater success. Nevertheless we should aim for consistency, which tends to produce more consistency, while inconsistency in daily devotions tends to reinforce the habit of inconsistency. A sporadic approach to devotions usually produces sporadic results just as sporadic eating and working are not generally healthy and productive approaches. Serious athletes seldom use an irregular training schedule for their special sport if they hope to attain excellence and keep improving their athletic skills. And pursuing sanctification is like an athletic contest that demands our utmost effort (1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:13–14; Heb. 12:1–3). So we can be encouraged that our devotional time can constantly improve so that it becomes the high point of our day and not an irksome task to endure.

So what is the best time for you? When are you going to do it? I didn’t hear you, you were mumbling something about doing something about it later.