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| The Bible. A Good Book to Read Daily |
The Power of a
Daily Family Devotional
By Gay N. Lewis
The
alarm clanged. I’m not a morning person, and I hated that loud thing. Staggering
through the house, I woke up kids. Three sleepy girls stumbled from beds, made
their way to the den and turned on the television. I kept my eyes on the clock
and gave orders. “Turn off the TV. (These days, it would be “turn off the cell
phones.”) Eat this, wear that, comb your hair.” Mornings were chaotic at our
house during those early years with young children.
The
frenzied activity halted for fifteen minutes each day. Regardless of where our daughters
were in their routine, their dad would say, “Come on, girls, it’s time.”
Dad, dressed in suit and tie, because he is a
morning person, called us all to the living room. He chose the middle section
of the sofa, and our three daughters joined him. They often argued over who
would sit next to him, until we adopted the rotation system. I sat nearby, and
we put the hurry-scurry on hold while we spent a few minutes with the
Lord. We had no clue how important this daily
custom would mean to each of us in later years.
My
husband, their preacher dad, read a chapter from a children’s Bible. The children’s
edition featured pictures, and our daughters loved the stories in modern,
simple English. After the story, we memorized a Scripture. He chose one each
week for us from the 1972 edition of the Living Bible. The Living Bible is a
paraphrase, not a translation, and it is easy for children to understand and
memorize. After the story, we recited
the new Scripture in unison, and then we each prayed. Listening to our
daughter’s prayers could be eye opening. We discovered their depth of
understanding and heard their candid ideas and needs.
After
the serenity pause, the dash-about activities began again. The youngsters ran
to pick up lunches and rushed out the door.
Family
devotionals began with the birth of our first child. The habit continued until our
grown daughters left the nest. The children’s Bible sits on our library shelf
these days. It is a sweet memory of yesteryear. Now, the two of us, husband and
wife, keep the tradition. We read a passage silently from our adult Bibles and
then discuss it.
Fast
forward fifty years. Our daughters can still recite those Scriptures, and
through the mountains and valleys of life, those Godly Words brought comfort.
The adult children are grateful they memorized them.
Our
firstborn developed early-onset dementia before she reached the age of fifty.
After her husband died with cancer, we supervised her care management. For ten
years, we watched this smart, vivacious, young woman decline with this horrific
disease.
One
day, while she was in the early stages, we waited for a doctor. Sitting on the
exam table, she said, “I’m so scared.” She knew what awaited her with this
disease. I replied, “Quote your favorite Scripture.” She looked at me and
smiled. “Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God
your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers.” Phil: 4:6 NLT. It
was one she’d leaned at her dad’s knee. We discussed the Scripture and what it
meant. Over the next few years, the ones where memory existed, and she could
still speak, she quoted this one constantly to herself over and again.
Another
favorite verse she recited as long as she could: “Just as you trusted Christ to
save you, trust Him too for each day’s problems. Live in vistal union with
Him.” Col 2:6 NLT
She
learned others. Romans 8:28. Romans 8:38-39. Psalms 23. 1 Peter 5:7.
Her
retention eventually totally failed, and I quoted them to her. Occasionally, a
flash of lucidity entered her brain as her dad or I cited them, and she smiled.
Deep down inside her frail body and deteriorated mind, the Scriptures spoke.
I
often wondered how she would have coped without them. Or how would we? These
Scriptures carried comfort during dark days.
In
late October 2024, Hospice gave us the sad words. “She is transitioning rapidly
now. We can’t say when she will go, but it will be soon.” I didn’t know when
she was going, but I knew where.
On
October 26, I stood by her bed and watched her tiny, atrophied body slip away.
Oxygen helped the irregular breathing. Often the gasps stopped, but then breath
continued with its slow, unpredictable irregularity.
I
prayed Phil: 4: 6 over her and I personalized each phrase. “Don’t worry about
anything, sweet girl. Don’t be afraid. You are going to heaven. Don’t worry
about leaving us. We are fine and we will see you again in Heaven. You and I
are praying about everything, and God knows our needs. He’s taking care of the
needs. You need to be well and happy again. He knows you need to laugh and hug
again. God will provide your needs, and we thank Him because He hears us.”
As
I reworded the familiar Scriptures, too weak to open her eyes, she blinked. She
heard me, and I believe God allowed her understanding in that moment we shared.
Those
Scriptures she learned as a child brought her peace and encouragement during
the death hour, as they did us. The Power of those family devotionals helped us
throughout life and death. When we began the routine, we didn’t know how vital and
essential these Scriptures would become to us.
Family
devotionals reach unimaginable powerful and beneficial results.
1. Time
with God brings spiritual nourishment.
2. Moments
of quiet calms nerves, digestion, and blood pressure.
3. Families
bond together.
4. Bible
is learned.
5. Common
sense is gained.
6. A
sense of accomplishment.
7. No
matter if bad things occur during the day, realization the day started with God
comforts us.
Suggestions
for family devotionals
1. Set
aside ten/fifteen minutes each day for family devotions. Work out the best time
for your family. Some may prefer morning, and others may prefer before bedtime.
2. Read
from a children’s Bible and show the kids the pictures. Switch to an adult
Bible when the children outgrow the children’s Bible. Read a chapter each day.
3. Let
them ask questions.
4. Choose
one Scripture and recite it daily until all have it memorized.
5. Take
a few minutes to quote all the memorized Scriptures. This reinforces them.
6. Allow
each one to pray after the recitation of Scripture.
7. Make
this ritual a daily goal—seven days a week.
Children
will remember and cherish, and that alone is powerful.
