The Family Altar
Resources for Personal and Family Devotions
“These words that I am commanding you today are to be on your heart. Teach them diligently to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Participating in public worship is foundational to our life of faith. But just as our physical health would suffer if we only ate once a week, our spiritual health benefits greatly from regular time in God’s Word and prayer throughout the week. The resources below can be helpful for you and your family in getting home devotional habits started or adding to your current routines.
Remember, a little is always better than nothing. Even a simple habit, like praying the Lord’s Prayer when you get up each morning or go to bed at night, can do a lot to help remind us of God’s blessings and focus our hearts and minds on him. Worship together with fellow believers on Sunday and personal devotion throughout the week fit together as gifts from God to feed and strengthen faith in Christ our Savior.
Online Resources
The WELS website (wels.net) offers a variety of helpful resources under the Serving You tab, including daily and weekly devotions that can be used individually or with a family. The devotions generally tie into the themes and readings from Sunday worship. You can sign up to have devotions emailed to you as well.
wels.net/serving-you/devotions/
Reading through a section of God’s Word and meditating on its meaning is also helpful even without a written devotion. Many Bible reading plans can be found online; one offered on the WELS website goes through the entire Bible over three years.
Devotional Books
A book of devotions is a helpful resource to have. Devotion books might be topical or offer devotions for a who year or season. Many good devotionals are available from Northwestern Publishing House, our synod’s publisher (online.nph.net). A few suggestions are listed below.
5-Minute Bible Studies for Families, Jay Bickelhaupt
5-Minute Bible Studies for Couples, Randy Hunter
Our Worth to Him: Devotions for Christian Worship, Mark Paustian
Together with Jesus: Daily Devotions for a Year, Richard Lauersdorf
Hymnal
A hymnal is also a valuable devotional resource. If you don’t have a copy at home, consider purchasing the new Christian Worship: Hymnal (available from NPH). Besides hymns and psalms, the hymnal has short orders of service for different times of day that are especially appropriate for personal or family devotion time, a daily lectionary with short Scripture readings appointed for every day of the year, personal prayers, Luther’s Small Catechism, and more. The 1993 Christian Worship contains similar resources, so if you already have one at home, give it a try next time you’re looking for devotional material.
Additional Resources
Downloadable through the link below is a packet of resources prepared by Pastor Luke Thompson (professor at Martin Luther College, previously pastor at St. Paul Lutheran, Ottawa, ON). It contains some additional helpful suggestions and guidance for personal and family devotion, including more resources targeted at specific age groups. Note that the items he lists as being available “in the church library” may or may not be available in our church libraries.