MY Devotional: Daily Biblical Encouragement & Prayer from Leading The Way

Do you have someone in your life who only reaches out when they want something? That kind of one-sided relationship feels transactional—and it’s a powerful mirror for how many believers approach God.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef challenges us to move beyond “laundry-list” praying—requests without worship, needs without thanksgiving, future-focused anxiety without remembering God’s past faithfulness. When we forget what God has already done, our prayers weaken because forgetfulness reveals ingratitude—and we begin taking credit for victories only God could have accomplished.

Dr. Youssef points to a pattern throughout Scripture: God repeatedly calls His people to remember—sometimes by setting up visible memorials of His provision. These “Ebenezer stones” (“stone of help”) become spiritual markers that spark renewal, revive gratitude, and draw us back into abiding fellowship with Christ. They remind us where our help truly comes from—and they re-center our hearts on God’s glory, not just our requests.

As you listen, ask yourself: What memorial is God calling you to set up today so you’ll stay focused on Him, abide in His presence, and learn to pray without ceasing?

Prayer: Father, forgive me for forgetting to take the time to praise and adore You. You have been so faithful to me. Thank You for loving me and saving me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon What Is Your Ebenezer?: WATCH NOW

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Have you noticed how quickly disappointment follows when expectations are placed on the wrong things—people, circumstances, plans, even your own strength? In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds us that only God’s promises can carry the full weight of our expectations.

Dr. Youssef takes us to Luke 2:25–35, where we meet Simeon—an ordinary man with extraordinary hope. Simeon had spent his life waiting for the Messiah, trusting God’s Word that he would personally see the Christ. After years of watching and waiting, Simeon finally held the infant Jesus in his arms and prayed with calm certainty: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised… you may now dismiss your servant in peace” (Luke 2:29–32). Simeon wasn’t shocked that God came through—he expected it, because his hope was rooted in the faithfulness of God.

This devotional will help you contrast Simeon’s steady confidence with the shaky expectations we often place on this world—and call you to re-anchor your heart in what never fails. God’s timing may stretch longer than you’d like and His methods may surprise you, but He will always fulfill His promises.

Prayer: God, help me to place my expectations in You, not in this world. I know that You will never disappoint me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Unrealistic Expectations, Hope That Will Not Disappoint: WATCH NOW

 

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Why do we pray—really? In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds us that the ultimate purpose of prayer is not self-fulfillment but the glory of God. Jesus Himself said He answers prayer “so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). And even when God meets our needs, the goal remains the same: His Name honored and His goodness displayed.

Dr. Youssef also tackles two common extremes believers fall into:

Fatalism: “Prayer doesn’t matter—God will do what He will do,”

Manipulation: “Prayer makes God act like He wouldn’t otherwise.”

Scripture, he explains, teaches a better way: God is fully sovereign, and yet within His sovereignty He truly responds when His people pray with the right focus. That’s why we must avoid two unhealthy attitudes—being afraid to ask God for anything, or treating Him like a “bellhop” who exists to serve our agenda.

Instead, Dr. Youssef points to our identity as God’s children: we can ask boldly, but we trust the Father to give what is best—just as good parents do (Matthew 7:11). Mature prayer sounds like Jesus: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” If you want your prayer life to deepen, this episode will help you realign your requests with God’s glory and grow in faith-filled dependence.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You want to hear from Your children and that You glorify Yourself as You meet our needs. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Psalm 121: LISTEN NOW

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Imagine being there as a young Mary—likely no older than fourteen—walked into the hills of Judea to embrace her cousin Elizabeth. In that moment, Mary’s heart overflowed with the Magnificat, a prayer that would echo through generations as a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef highlights why Mary’s prayer matters so deeply for your everyday faith. Mary’s circumstances were bewildering and weighty, yet she faced them with steady confidence because her life had been shaped by a deep relationship with God and a lifetime of immersion in His Word. Her praise flowed from gratitude: God had chosen her to bear the long-promised Messiah—the Savior of the world.

Dr. Youssef also points to the remarkable balance in Mary’s Magnificat: authentic, biblical self-esteem that is neither prideful nor insecure—confidence without arrogance, humility without shame. Mary’s life wasn’t warped by materialism, possessions, or peer pressure; it was anchored in God’s promises. And through her prayer, Mary declares what every believer must learn to trust: God always keeps His promises.

This devotional invites you to ask yourself: Will you magnify God in every circumstance—especially the ones you don’t understand? That posture is the essence of Mary’s prayer and a key to power in prayer today.

Prayer: Lord, You are the matchless, sovereign God. You alone are worthy of my praise. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Scripture Focus: “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name” (Luke 1:48-49).

*This devotional adapted from Life-Changing Prayers by Michael Youssef © 2018. Published by Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission.

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Life-Changing Prayers, Part 7: LISTEN NOW

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Habakkuk ministered in a tense moment in Israel’s history—when Babylon was rising and judgment was approaching—yet the heart of his book is deeply personal: moving from impatience and confusion to steadfast trust in God’s timing.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef walks through Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 and points to three features that can reshape your own prayer life when answers feel delayed:

Humility before God: Habakkuk begins by questioning God’s silence (Habakkuk 1:2), but ends with reverent awe—learning to submit his perspective to God’s sovereignty.

Adoration of God: Instead of using prayer only to get solutions, Habakkuk models prayer as worship—asking to know God more and responding in obedience.

Focus on God’s work: Habakkuk pleads for mercy and awakening—not because the people deserve it, but because he longs for God’s Name to be glorified.

Where many sink into anger, depression, or prayerlessness when heaven feels quiet, Habakkuk turns delay into discipleship—asking, in effect, “Lord, what are You teaching me? How can I trust You more?” This devotional will help you pray through waiting seasons with faith, perspective, and joy that isn’t dependent on circumstances.

Prayer: Father, may I set my heart on You, the God of grace, wisdom, and sovereign power. I believe Your promises and will wait on You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Scripture Focus: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). 

*This devotional adapted from Life-Changing Prayers by Michael Youssef © 2018. Published by Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission.

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Life-Changing Prayers, Part 4: LISTEN NOW

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate