It is intensely frustrating to want to do or accomplish something you know is important, but to not know how to do it. How do you make it happen? You try, but you just keep failing. That is why so many students do not have regular devotions. They know they should. They know it would help them grow spiritually. They know it is what God wants. Yet, they do not know how to make it happen.

When speaking at an event, I often ask students how many come from churches or families where the importance of regular devotions was communicated. Most indicate they have heard that message and believe it. I follow up by asking how many have been taught a method, given a tool, provided with accountability to stay faithful, and/or given opportunities to practice and grow in their skill in these same churches and families. Almost none indicate that they received that kind of help. They have not been taught how to do what they have been told is vital to their growth.

Let us try to help you. On Track has been written to help students develop the skill of having regular devotions. Let us show you FOUR SIMPLE STEPS and then encourage you to give it a try. As you begin, please let us know how it goes and what you learn through the struggle. You might discover something that helps other students develop the skill of regular and meaningful devotions.

In Proverbs 1:20 we read that “wisdom calls aloud in the street. She raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech.” Wisdom is not hidden. We often think of the Bible as being a complicated book that only highly intelligent or very spiritual people can understand. Proverbs tells us otherwise. God did not design Scripture to be so complicated we could not understand it when we read it. God’s truth is in plain sight.

We also find that we must give effort to our pursuit. While it is there for us to grasp, God wants to see us give effort. Look at what He says in chapter 2 of Proverbs. “My son if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you cry out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Prov 2:1-5) Truth is not hidden, but it will take effort to find it.

Suppose someone said that he had hidden $100,000 somewhere in a classroom and whoever found it could keep it. How many of us would look under a chair and then say, “It is not under my chair. I guess I will look somewhere else again tomorrow?” I do not think any of us would respond that way. If the treasure was hidden, we would keep looking until we found it. God has so many amazing treasures waiting for us that are worth so much more than money hidden in a classroom. It is not hidden in the sense of some special code or riddle, but hidden in the sense that God wants us to give effort, and when we do, He opens up the treasure chest and showers us with life-changing truth.

My dad used to say that nothing worthwhile in life ever comes easy. He was right. So as you begin this journey, remember these two truths. Remember that God has written the Bible in a way that you and I can discover what it means. The truth of Scripture is not hidden. Second, we must always know that God will expect us to give effort to our devotions. We need to be praying, asking, even begging God to allow us to see the truth raising its voice in the public square. As we give effort and grow in our skill, the Bible will come alive to us.

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