When elders engage in household visitation, one of the most common clusters of questions that are asked isabout personal devotions and family worship: where do I start? Do you have any recommended resources for family devotions? What can I use if I’m looking to grow in my personal devotional life? What could I read with my girlfriend or boyfriend? As we’re closing out the first month of the year, I thought it would be helpful to provide some recommendations of devotionals that you could use for personal devotions or family devotions.

One common feature of the most helpful devotions that I’ve used—personally or with our family—is that it focuses on the text of Scripture and exalts Christ. There are plenty of devotions out there that will provide a thought for the day or a behavioral lesson; however, those devotionals will not stir the soul with the grace of God in truth. My hope is that the recommended devotionals below will do that: stir your soul to delight in God as you encounter Him in His Word with the helpful structure of a devotional guide.

So, look at the list. Don’t get paralyzed by the options. Just start somewhere. Take up and read.

For adults [either personal or with others (viz. spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, teenage children): 

Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship edited by Jonathan Gibson – This newly published devotional is a beautiful volume. Suzanne and I have started using it together recently. In all, we can complete a devotional together in 30 minutes, spending time in Scripture, various types of prayer, and a song.

Daily Readings – From All Four Gospels for Morning and Evening by J. C. Ryle – Anyone who has read J. C. Ryle will attest to his ability to write in a punchy, memorable way. This devotional walks through all four gospels and is well worth your time if you want to spend the year thinking more deeply about the life and ministry of Jesus.

365 Days with Calvin edited by Joel Beeke – A full year with John Calvin may not sound like a lot of fun, but we found great benefit in this devotional. Each day’s devotion includes a Scripture reading and then material from Calvin’s writings that help explain the Scripture. This devotional stood out for covering a wide arrange of topics in the Christian life (and some that you wouldn’t normally find in more modern devotional works).

In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions Through the Psalms by Dane Ortlund

For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by D. A. Carson – These volumes are great because they are intended to accompany the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan. As you read assigned chapters, Carson, a top-notch Bible scholar, provides one-page summaries of one of the assigned chapters for the day.

For family devotions with middle school children:

Big Beliefs! Small Devotions Introducing Your Family to Big Truths by David Helm

The Big Picture Family Devotional by David Helm – This devotional presents a Bible-based catechism designed to help children know the overarching storyline of the Bible. The book is designed around catechism questions where the answers are Bible quotations and strikes a good balance between absorbing small portions of Scripture via memorization and catching the “big picture” in its daily readings. 

The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung – This volume will be published in March 2022, but those who appreciated DeYoung’s The Biggest Story for its clear tracing of the Bible’s major storyline will find benefit in this lengthier edition (528 pages) geared toward children 6-12. 

For family devotions with younger children:

From the Lips of Little Ones: A Study in the Catechism (for Very Little People) by Jeff Kingswood – Harvest provided a copy of this to families in 2020 as part of our catechism challenge. The devotional walks families through the children’s catechism week-by-week. Each day’s devotion is based upon Scripture passages that illustrate the theme for that week. Short readings that are good for smaller children.

What Every Child Should Know About Prayer by Nancy Guthrie – Fun illustrations fill this children’s devotional on prayer. The readings are only a paragraph or two long so perfectly suited for squirmy children ages 2 through 4. It will help your children know the breadth of things we can bring the Lord in prayer (note: some of the other volumes in this series contain images of Jesus).

Topical Devotions

Lastly, sometimes individuals may find themselves grappling with particular challenges in their Christian walk and may sense that they would benefit from some targeted study. P&R Publishing has put out a series of 31-day devotionals that target specific topics like Patience (by Megan Hill, speaker at the 2021 Harvest Women’s Retreat), Parenting & Disabilities, Chronic Illness, Engagement, Grief, Pornography, Money, Anger, Fear of Man, and more.

In His Service,

Pastor Wayne