How to start a 40-day devotional (and actually finish it)
Short answer: pick one fixed time, keep each day to about seven minutes (read one passage, reflect, pray), and give yourself grace when you miss a day: just pick up where you left off. Forty days is long enough to form a habit and echoes Scripture’s seasons of waiting and renewal, like Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness.
Why 40 days?
In the Bible, forty days often marks a season of testing and preparation: the flood, Moses on the mountain, Elijah’s journey and Jesus in the wilderness. It is not a magic number, but it is a meaningful, achievable season.
A 7-minute daily rhythm
- Breathe (1 min): sit still, phones face down.
- Read (2 min): one short passage, slowly.
- Reflect (2 min): one question: what does this show me about God?
- Pray (2 min): say it back to God in your own words.
Tips to finish
- Attach it to something you already do, like your first coffee.
- Use a printed guide so you don’t scroll.
- Missed a day? There is no “behind.” Continue tomorrow.
- Invite a friend and send each other one line a day.
A verse to begin with
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
Want to go deeper? The 7-Day Still Hope Study ($9) gives you seven minutes a day with Scripture, prayer and journaling space. Or start free with 5 Verses for When You Can’t Breathe.
Questions people ask
How long should a daily devotional take?
About 5–10 minutes is enough. Consistency matters more than length.
Why do devotionals last 40 days?
Forty days echoes biblical seasons of preparation, like Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, and is long enough to build a habit.
What if I miss a day?
Just continue the next day. Grace, not guilt, is the point.
Where can I find a short devotional to start?
Still Hope offers a free 5-verse card set and a 7-Day Study for $9, each built around 7 minutes a day.
Keep reading
- Bible verses for sleep: what to pray when you can’t sleep
- Hope in hard times: what the Bible says when life falls apart
- Bible verses for anxiety: how to pray when your mind won’t stop
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, please contact local emergency services or find a helpline at findahelpline.com. This blog is encouragement, not professional counselling.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), public domain.