As the year of 2025 comes to a close, many will be starting their 2026 resolutions. Fridges will be full of healthy foods. Gyms will be crowded with new members. Instruments will be strummed painfully. You get the point. Many will be setting out on new ventures in the new year.
All the common resolutions we hear year after year have some advantage. The Scripture tells us that bodily exercise is profitable (1 Tim 4:8). Eating healthy and in moderation is wise (Prov 25:16). Musicians should strive to play instruments skillfully (Ps 33:3). These, while good, focus on externals. They bring about earthly profit. What about our spiritual growth?
“…God is to be worshiped everywhere in spirit and truth; as in private families daily, and in secret each one by himself, so more solemnly in the public assemblies…” Westminster Confession of Faith 21:6
The Westminster Confession of Faith highlights the biblical truth that worship should be done primarily in three ways. We will go from the broad to the narrow. The first is on the Lord’s Day gathering. This is our corporate Sunday worship time. I assume, if you’re reading this, that you are an active member of a local church. That is a must. Secondly, worship should be practiced in families daily. This is a topic for another post. Lastly is our topic for this blog, which is to worship in secret by yourself.
The word “worship” is a little confused in our day. Many hear it and think of singing alone. Historically, the word is broader than that. According to the Scriptures, worship consists of the reading of Scripture (Acts 15:21, Rev 1:3). The preaching of Scripture (2 Tim 4:2). The singing of songs, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19, Col 3:16, James 5:13). Praying according to God’s will (1 John 5:13, Acts 2:42). Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt 28:19, Acts 2:42, 1 Cor 11:23-29).
Now, preaching, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are limited to the Lord’s Day worship. This is because it requires a Pastor. It also needs a gathered congregation. That leaves us with reading, praying, and singing for both family and private worship. This brings us to the focus of this post: personal daily worship. I will offer some suggestions that may be helpful to you for each element.
Reading Scripture
I’ll start with what will be the reoccurring theme of these suggestions: keep it simple. You do not need to read all 50 chapters of Genesis in one sitting. Nor do you need to study the original languages and ancient near eastern historical and literary contexts. There is a time and place for reading broadly. Studying deeply also has its time. However, we’re looking for consistent exposure to God’s word. Start small and you can always add more as the habit forms.
Here are my two suggestions to develop a habit of reading scripture daily. The first is to choose the right translation for you. I enjoy reading the KJV. However, it has old words we do not use. This can lead to confusion or rabbit trails looking into their meaning. I also enjoy the NASB. It is a “word for word” translation that is great for studying. However, it does not flow as well as some of the less literal translations. The ESV, NIV, and NLT (most literal to least) are good options for smooth daily reading. At the end of the day, the best translation is the one that you will read.
The second suggestion is to find a bible reading plan. The Bible App has many great options to choose from. There is whole bible in a year, Old Testament, New Testament, individual books, topical, and on and on it goes. I am doing a whole bible in a year with the books in chronological order. I’ll link it here. The point is not about which one you choose. What matters is simply having a long-term goal that requires you to read every day. The app can help you in reaching that goal.
“It is not the bee’s touching of the flower that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time upon the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he who reads most, but he who meditates most—who will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.” -Thomas Brooks
Praying
Once again, we want to keep it simple. You will not be capable of praying for everything and everyone you ought to in one sitting. The point is to speak with God. He already knows everything you need (Matt 6:32). He knows all of your sins (Ps 90:8). He has already promised to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Yet, He invites us to pray to Him (Matt 6:6, Luke 11:9, Eph 6:18). God’s eyes are upon us, and His ears are attentive to our prayers (1 Pet 3:12).
Here are my two suggestions that may be helpful to you about prayer. The first is an acronym to help structure your prayers. Some do not pray because they aren’t sure how to pray. Among these were the very disciples that walked with Jesus (Luke 11:1). The acronym in ACTS. That stands for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Put simply, it is acknowledging God for Who He is. Then confessing yours sins to Him. Then giving Him thanks for all that He has done. And last, asking Him for your needs or the needs of others. This structure is loosely based on the Lord’s prayer, and all the elements find biblical support.
The second suggestion is to get a prayer journal and/or prayer list. This will help you to keep track of the things that you’re praying for. It will also provide opportunity to document the prayers that God has answered. Seeing this will increase your faith and highlight the power of prayer. Prayer journals are not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. However, we see the people of God remembering the works God had done for them (Ps 77:11, Ex 13:3). This may help you to remember what God has already done. It may also remind you of what you are continuing to ask Him to do. Either way, the point is simply to speak with God daily through prayer.
“Unless we fix certain hours in the day for prayer, it easily slips from our memory.” -John Calvin
Singing
I bet you know what I’m going to say. Yes, let’s keep it simple. Maybe you are not very musical. That does not matter. Many people in Scripture sang songs. Moses, Miriam, David, Mary, and others. Do you know what they all have in common? We do not know the melodies. We do, however, know the words. When singing to God, sound is secondary to substance. It is better to sing truths about God flatly then to sing falsehoods beautifully. We sing to God to glorify Him and to stir up our affections for Him.
Here are my two suggestions for singing. The first is to find songs that are biblically accurate. Most modern music labeled “Christian” is anything but that. Vague sentimentality set to a catchy tune falls short. We are singing to the God of the universe Who has revealed Himself to us through 66 books. We have an incredible amount of subject matter about an incredibly magnificent Being. We cannot settle for songs that could just as accurately be sung to a girlfriend or boyfriend. No, Christian music should sing of Christian themes. The Trinity, sin, salvation, the cross, sacrifice, wrath, life, death, heaven, hell, etc. These should be explicit in the lyrics. Choose songs like that to sing to God. The Sing Hymnal is what I would recommend starting with.
The second suggestion is to sing last. The Puritans argued that singing should be done last. Even after the closing prayer. This is because the melody of a song will echo in your mind as you go about your day. As you hum the melody quietly or in your head, the lyrics would come to mind. This creates an ongoing meditation on Scriptural truths, thus pointing us back to the importance of biblically sound lyrics.
“Singing is making, in a special manner, man’s tongue to be God’s glory.” -Nathaniel Holmes
In conclusion, I pray that your new year will be filled with personal time with the Lord. That the blessing of personal daily worship would not be neglected. May God add blessing to you and grow you more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Amen!
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