Daily Habits

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NKJV)

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Our habits shape our lives. The things we do habitually become part of the structure of our lives, and part of us. Our habits become so ingrained in the daily rhythm of life that we don’t even need to think about them; we just do them every day. You probably don’t need to think about brushing your teeth or grabbing your morning coffee. You just do it because it’s what you do, and if you forget you feel like something is missing. Your habits form the daily pattern of your life.

This is why Christians throughout history have made daily prayer a habit. Christians are to pray without ceasing; yet, often we forget to pray. Many times, this is due to a lack of planning and discipline. If we only pray when we remember or when we feel like it, we will inevitably forget, or not be in the mood. But if we have a daily habit of prayer, if we have discipline and stick to an orderly plan, these times of forgetfulness will become less. It becomes much easier to remember when prayer is integrated into our daily habits.

A daily habit of prayer is not only for the individual but also for the whole household.
Christianity is a religion of community, and the first and most basic community is the family. If individuals have habits, families have habits as well. Families may have a habit of watching movies on a certain night of the week, or celebrating Independence Day in a particular way. Christian families have long had the habit of coming together every day to pray and read the Bible. Daily family devotions are an excellent way to sanctify your time as a family and receive the forgiveness of the Gospel.

Daily devotions are also a great way to instruct children and bring them up in the faith. As the head of the household, the father is encouraged to bring up his children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Christian parents have the responsibility of teaching their families the Scriptures and ensuring that they are taught well. This teaching cannot be relegated to a couple hours on Sunday. A time of family devotions is an excellent way to introduce more of the Word of God to children. As times of prayer become habitual, they become part of the family’s culture. By regularly hearing the Word proclaimed, and by regularly coming together to pray the community of the family is strengthened in the faith.
Like all habits that require discipline, the most important part of family devotions is to begin. Both individuals and families, whether they have children at home or not, benefit greatly from family devotions. But it can be overwhelming to find a place to start.

Here is some practical advice and resources:

• Pick a time and stick with it for a week. If you find that that time consistently doesn’t work well, pick a different time and try it out for a week. My family does devotions right before bed; perhaps the morning or right after dinner will work for you or your family.

• Don’t overthink it. Portals of Prayer has an outline for daily family worship that includes prayer, a Bible reading, and a meditation. It’s simple, short, and perfect for establishing a habit.

• If you struggle with finding the words to pray, use the Psalms. They were given to us for this very reason, that we would have excellent words with which to praise God.

• Our hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book (LSB) is not just for use at church; it can be a valuable resource in the home as well. It has orders of prayer for various times of day, as well as the lectionary readings for Sunday.

• Hymns are another great addition to family worship. Our hymnal contains many excellent hymns that have been passed down to us, a precious heritage bestowed on us by our Lutheran forefathers.

• Concordia Publishing House (cph.org) sells the Treasury of Daily Prayer, which includes even more resources for daily prayer. If you are interested, come to my office and I can show you my copy.


The habit of daily family prayer establishes the Word of God in the household and keeps Him at the center of daily family life. Even so, it always leads to the Divine Service on Sunday, when the wider community of the Church is gathered together to hear God’s Word preached and to receive His Sacraments as one united Body. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you as you continue to enjoy this summer and celebrate the wonderful gifts that He gives us.

-Pastor Pope