Seeking God Daily: Prayer, Scripture, and Devotion in Real Life

J.J. Fletcher | October 9th, 2026

Life is busy.

Between work, raising a family, and a myriad of other things, we feel like we have to add “Make time for our relationship with God” to our to-do list. At least that’s what a vibrant faith seems to look like in the twenty-first century.

We have church on Sunday, maybe we make it to a midweek Bible study, and perhaps, we fill in the cracks of our days with some Bible reading and prayer.

It is easy to live a life guided by the tyranny of the urgent, and that makes daily practices difficult.

In Acts 2, we see what early Christians were doing. They devoted themselves to teaching, breaking bread, and praying.

They gathered at the temple and in each other’s homes daily, and they made sure that no one was in need. It was incredibly intimate. They were around each other constantly.

They were transparent. They were generous. They also exhibited evangelistic traits—their numbers grew daily.

They were doing something every day.

Not everything that the early church did is prescriptive of what we should be doing today. Still, we can learn some core truths about what is essential for a faith that endures the challenges of our time: We also need to devote ourselves daily to fellowship, Scripture, and prayer.

What Gets in the Way of Daily Devotion

If your church is anything like mine, it doesn’t quite look like the early church. We’re spread out. We don’t necessarily have community gathering places. We commute to work, and we’re constantly on the go. We may get together outside of our weekly meetings in the church building, but it’s likely not every day—or even every week. And most of our churches are not experiencing the kind of daily congregational growth described in Acts 2.

Unlike most other commodities, time is fixed. We can’t add more, so we try to cram as many things into our days as we can. This means we pick and choose what we get to on a given day.

What we fill our lives with directly impacts our thoughts and actions. Jesus spoke about this to the Pharisees when he said, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, ESV).

What we give prominence to in our lives will continually draw us in deeper.

This impacts the way that we behave, speak, prioritize, and treat others. It can be a vicious cycle, and Jesus’ words demand intentionality about how we structure our lives. He reminds us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, ESV).

If we don’t have a plan to fill our minds with Scripture and biblically sound teachings, our minds will be filled up with the other items that demand our time or catch our attention. Inaction in setting priorities lets our days rule us, rather than allowing us to rule our days.

It can be easy to say that we don’t have time to read Scripture or devote ourselves to meaningful prayer time during the week, but do you ever find yourself numbing your mind with distractions after a long, busy day?

We allow our time to be filled with whatever pleases the eye in the moment rather than structuring our time so that we can be filled and renewed by the revealed Word of God.

Faithfulness in Priorities

What makes up our daily devotional practices? As we pursue a faithful life, we need to draw near to God through daily Scripture reading and prayer.

Daily Scripture Reading

We need to constantly fill our minds with Scripture for correction, edification, and encouragement. This time spent filling our minds with Scripture will give us an understanding of how we are to live. Knowing your purpose as a child of God is incredibly important, and that purpose cannot be fully understood apart from the foundation of Scripture.

In reading commentary or devotions about Scripture, we get to see the Word through the eyes of someone else; we get insights from the experiences and observations of others who are seeking to live a faithful life. Some things in Scripture are not as easy to grasp as others, so experiencing the Word from another vantage point can be incredibly helpful.

If you are looking for a translation produced from a Biblical Unitarian perspective with extensive commentary, check out the Revised English Version published by Spirit and Truth Fellowship International.

As we study, we are mindful of this truth: Scripture is authoritative; commentaries and devotionals are aids to understanding it. We should prayerfully consider what we read or hear and use Scripture as a rubric to evaluate the teachings and thoughts of others.

Daily Prayer

We also need to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV). This doesn’t mean we pray at every waking moment, but that prayer should be habitual.

When we have a problem, when we see a need, when we are faced with a decision, or when we feel weak or discouraged, we should be in the habit of coming before God in those moments.

Prayer is also a time to praise God and give Him thanks for what He has done and is doing.

Technology: The Double-Edged Sword to Daily Devotion

We are at a tremendous advantage when it comes to access. Modern technology puts access to biblical resources at our fingertips. With a few swipes and clicks, we can pull up a sermon, a devotion, or our Bible and prayer app in seconds, if we can get past the distractions our devices provide.

Technology has made so many things easier to track, but it has become one of the greatest distractions to humanity. That very device that can be so helpful will also kill your productivity and steal your attention.

There is amazing content out there, but there is evil lurking, waiting to drag you away from a life of faithfulness and devotion.

Setting simple boundaries around screen time and other distractions will help you be more successful in implementing daily devotional practices.

Practical Ways to Build Daily Devotional Habits

I’ve told you what we need to do—study and pray—but there isn’t one schedule or method that will work for everyone. I’m incredibly imperfect at time management, but I have made some changes that have helped me to varying degrees. Here are a few suggestions to consider as you contemplate a life of faithful devotion to God.

Desire to be faithful.

Simple concept, right? Start your day by intentionally choosing faithfulness. Acknowledge your desire to be faithful and ask yourself: What do I need to put aside today to be faithful?

Identify your key distractions and time wasters.

While it is neither possible nor desirable to eliminate all distractions, you can rein in and limit them. Consider writing a list of distractions and making a plan for how to limit one or two in the upcoming weeks.

Set boundaries around technology use.

Limit notifications.

Is your phone constantly buzzing with notifications popping up? One way that I have attempted to eliminate distractions is by disabling notifications for unimportant apps. Another way is to utilize “do not disturb” functions on your phone while you are focusing on reading or prayer time.

Track your screen time.

A great way to home in on your biggest time wasters is to utilize screen time data. You can look at the usage summary to see how you unconsciously allow your time to be sucked away, rather than utilizing it to deepen your connection with God. This wasted time adds up fast!

Set screen time limits.

Once you have identified apps that are sucking away time, set limits on how much time you can use them daily. This is not foolproof, but it is one way to limit distractions and increase focus.

Delete apps.

I deleted Facebook from my phone. I hadn’t realized how often I was mindlessly picking up my phone for this purpose until the app was gone. It was shocking. Now I maybe check Facebook once a week on a web browser. The extra steps to access something can cut down on the usage.

Does technology rule your life? Begin to put technology back in its proper place—as a tool, not a master—with The Disciple Collective mini-course on Faith and Technology.

Try journaling.

If you are looking for a practice to help you unplug and deepen your spiritual life, grab a notebook and try writing down your thoughts about your day. Can’t remember what you did? Maybe this will push you to be more mindful of how you are spending your time.

This can also be a way to track what you have read, what you have prayed for, and ways you have seen God at work. Record your thoughts and feelings on the verses that you read and perhaps write out a little snippet to commit to memory. Write down needs and answered prayers that you can go back and look at as a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Start small when you need to.

One simple way to add more Scripture to our day is through apps, sermons, and online devotionals. I have a Bible widget that populates a verse every day on my phone. As a step to getting in the Word every day, this is helpful. It also gives you a hedge for crazy days that steal time that you planned for in-depth study; a quick verse to think about throughout the day can help focus your thoughts. These bite-sized pieces can be a jumping-off point to deeper study later on.

If you are looking for a daily devotional written by faithful COGGC writers from across the nation, check out SeekGrowLove. Each day, you’ll receive a devotion from our current yearly Bible reading plan that will give you insights and motivation to open up your Bible and spend time with God.

Set reminders.

Once you have identified the parts of the day you want to study and pray, set reminders for those times to intentionally set aside distractions, focus, and follow through on your plan. Whether this looks like a timer on your phone or a daily routine added to a current habit, simple changes can help you grow in your daily devotional practice.

Join a small group.

Going through Scripture together in an intimate setting can be incredibly valuable. This also builds a foundation of fellowship and accountability.

You probably won’t meet every day, but a weekly gathering, supplemented by a group chat throughout the week, can keep you on track with study and provide an easy outlet to share needs and prayer items. This type of group can draw you into connectedness at times when you may be tempted to self-isolate.

How can you practice these daily devotional practices?

Study and prayer are acts of worship and are foundational to living a faithful life. We must intentionally elevate them into daily disciplines.

Our lives are busy, but if we desire to live a faithful life, we need to make space for what truly matters. We must seek God and His Kingdom first—above all else. That looks like making room for Him in the midst of our busy lives.

We shouldn’t just desire more information about God. We should want greater intimacy with Him. By using these suggestions, you can begin to be more intentional about your time and that intentionality will produce good fruit.

Your faithfulness matters. What is one change you can make this week to create more room for Scripture and prayer?

About the Author

J.J. Fletcher is a 2009 graduate of Atlanta Bible College. He has pastored Pine Grove Bible Church since 2017 and served one term on the COGGC Board of Directors. He has been married to Hope (nee’ Kirkpatrick) for 18 years and has four children. He drives a school bus, enjoys Braves baseball, rock music, and the rare night of seven or more hours of sleep.