How to Improve Your Personal Devotional Worship–Part 6

“Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” KJV, Psalm 141:2.

Prayer time in the evening personal devotional will be filled with heart searching so that all sins might be confessed, plans laid to right wrongs a soon as possible, misunderstandings receive opportunity for courteous correction.

“Morning and evening let all hearts be united in reverent worship. At the season of evening worship, let every member of the family search well his own heart. Let every wrong that has been committed be made right. If, during the day, one has wronged another, or spoken unkindly, let the transgressor seek pardon of the one he has injured. Often grievances are cherished in the mind, and misunderstandings and heartaches are created that need not be. If the one who is suspected of wrong be given an opportunity, he might be able to make explanations that would bring relief to other members of the family.” (Ellen White, Review and Herald, November 8, 1906.)

Reading, Studying God’s Word–In the Evening, When I Die

Now is when I choose to study the Sabbath School Lesson. (In a separate “How to…” session, I’ll suggest ways to make Sabbath School Lesson Study practical in the “Practical Discipleship” section.) As I go through the suggested reading in the quarterly, I will also consider other Bible stories or passages that the current lesson might bring to mind. I study everything thoroughly and accurately so that I can “own” what I am learning. Then, when it comes time for the Sabbath School service, I can contribute well prepared comments that will hopefully enlarge blessing and the experience of others attending the class.

When I finally go to sleep for the night, I pray that God will instruct me even in my dreams. “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust…. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” KJV, Psalm 16:1, 7.

I also pray that He will awaken me in the morning to instruct me. “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” KJV, Isaiah 50:4.