The Best Devotionals

These are the devotionals I keep coming back to read more than once.

With a new year here, it’s the perfect time to start looking at your next devotional. Here are some of my favorites by category.

The Gold Standard:

The Promises of God by Charles H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Tim Chester

I have never resonated with a devotional so much as this one, and I have read it off and on for years now. Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening or Treasury of David might be more famous, but this one is the best. It was originally published as The Chequebook of the Bank of Faith, referring to the promises we can cash in on with God. But since we hardly use checks (much less know that the British spelling is “cheque”), Tim Chester and Crossway wisely updated the title.

Each day focuses on a promise of God, but these are not just the “cheesy” promises like Jeremiah 29:11. They include bracing, hope-filled promises like Romans 16:20: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” This is a devotional for people who want real comfort, anchored in the actual words God has spoken.

Scripture-Based:

In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions through the Psalms by Dane Ortlund

I read this when it was just the “ESV Devotional Psalter,” and really appreciated the excellent summary page for each psalm. Each is short and manageable, and the psalms are beautifully laid out to read each day.

For Targeted Areas:

The “Small Book” Series by Edward T. Welch (New Growth Press)

These aren’t traditional 365-day devotionals, but they are some of the most useful devotional reads I know. They’re short, direct, and deeply pastoral—perfect for reading slowly alongside Scripture.

• A Small Book About Why We Hide – on shame, fear, and self-protection

• A Small Book for the Anxious Heart – practical, Scripture-saturated help for anxiety

• A Small Book About a Big Problem – anger, complaining, frustration, and real repentance

Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Not light reading, but this book has been a favorite I have returned to. If discouragement, melancholy, or spiritual numbness is a recurring companion, this book contains profound sermons Lloyd-Jones preached on depression.

For a liturgical approach:

Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship edited by Jonathan Gibson

This devotional walks through the church year with Scripture readings, creeds, prayers, and hymns. It is especially helpful if you want your private devotions to feel connected to the historic church and shaped by Advent, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Thoughtful, reverent, and beautifully structured.

From the Puritans:

Puritan Treasures for Today (16 Volumes from Reformation Heritage)

I have loved many of these Puritan classics that are modernized and made bite-sized. Each title focuses on a specific spiritual theme (contentment, fear, holiness, fellowship, assurance, worship, etc.), and the compact size makes them easy to read in small chunks or slowly over time. Some of my favorites have been Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory by Jeremiah Burroughs, Triumphing Over Sinful Fear by John Flavel, and The Cure for Unjust Anger by John Downame.

Evangelical Classics:

Crossway Short Classics (10-Volume Set)

If you love historic Christian voices but want something short and impactful, consider the Crossway Short Classics — a beautifully curated collection of bite-size works from some of church history’s most faithful writers. Each booklet (usually ~80–140 pages) focuses on one theme — from J. C. Ryle’s call in Fight for Holiness to Jonathan Edwards’s vision of Heaven as a World of Love, from Spurgeon’s Encouragement for the Depressed to J. I. Packer’s classic essay on What the Cross Achieved. They’re devotionally rich, historically rooted, and easy to read in a few mornings, making them perfect for a morning devotional.

The Easiest Read:

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp

Accessible, warm, and very readable—without being shallow. A great option for busy seasons, or for anyone who wants a steady daily reminder of gospel grace in ordinary life.