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

Hannah had every reason to quit. She carried years of sorrow, emotional wounds, and physical exhaustion—yet her faith remained unshakable and her prayers did not stop.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef continues Hannah’s story and highlights a miracle many overlook: after God answered her cry and gave her a son, Hannah kept her vow and gave Samuel back to the Lord—without resentment, without regret. Instead, she responded with worship, declaring, “There is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). Her song of praise echoes forward into Scripture, reflected in Mary’s Magnificat as God’s redemptive plan unfolds through generations.

God didn’t stop there. What once looked hopeless became overflowing testimony—Hannah was blessed again and again, while Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord (1 Samuel 2:20–21). Dr. Youssef reminds us that people and circumstances may fail, but God’s security and compassion never run out. The question is personal: when desperation hits, do you broadcast your burdens to anyone who will listen—or do you run to the throne of grace?

This devotional will encourage you to bring your brokenness to the Lord, trust His timing, and believe that He is able to bind wounds and bring beauty from pain.

Prayer: God, help me to come to You in my hour of desperation. Thank You for Your love. I pray that You would bring blessings out of my brokenness. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Scripture Focus: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3)

Learn more in Dr. Youssef’s sermon Life-Changing Prayers, Part 6: 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:
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In 1 Samuel 1, we meet Hannah—whose name means “favored,” even though her heart felt anything but favored. Crushed by grief and unable to conceive, Hannah pours out a prayer so raw that Scripture says she prayed “in deep anguish… weeping bitterly” (1 Samuel 1:10). And from this prayer of brokenness, God would raise up a man who would shape history—Samuel, who would anoint the king in the lineage of the coming Savior.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef highlights several powerful lessons from Hannah’s prayer:

God honors brokenhearted prayer—even when it’s painful and messy.

Silent prayers still reach heaven—Hannah’s lips moved, but no sound came out, because she wasn’t performing for anyone.

True prayer seeks God, not attention—Hannah wasn’t trying to impress, manipulate, or gain sympathy; she went straight to the only One who can do the impossible.

If you’re carrying heartbreak, unanswered longing, or grief too heavy for words, this devotional is a reminder that God hears “groaning too deep for words”—and He delights to meet you in weakness with His faithful love.

Prayer: Thank You that You are close to the brokenhearted. I bring my brokenness to You today, knowing that in You alone am I made whole. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Scripture Focus: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

This devotional is adapted from Life-Changing Prayers by Michael Youssef © 2018 (Baker Books), used by permission.

Learn more in Dr. Youssef’s sermon Life-Changing Prayers, Part 5: 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

“What should I do next?” is one of the most common questions believers bring to God—and in today’s MY Devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef takes you to Genesis 24, where Scripture records the first prayer offered in the same way we pray today.

Abraham’s trusted servant Eliezer is sent on a mission that will shape the covenant line: find a wife for Isaac. Along the journey, he stops and prays a clear, specific prayer for guidance (Genesis 24:12–14)—and God answers before he finishes praying (Genesis 24:15). Dr. Youssef highlights why this matters for your decision-making:

Specific prayers aren’t unspiritual—God often honors clear, faith-filled requests.

Flexibility matters—God may answer differently than expected, but never outside His wisdom.

Prayer doesn’t replace action—Eliezer prays and keeps moving, watching, and obeying.

The takeaway is simple and challenging: faithful prayer + unconditional obedience = answered prayer. If you’re seeking guidance for a major decision, this episode will help you pray with clarity, walk with confidence, and discern God’s direction as He leads.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that I can bring my specific requests to You and trust that You hear and answer them in Your perfect wisdom and timing. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10).

*This devotional is 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 2: 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

If you feel weary, discouraged, or defeated by sin, Scripture doesn’t offer a shortcut—it offers a doorway: prayer. In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds us that there is no lasting power over temptation and no consistent victory over sin without spending time with God in prayer.

Dr. Youssef challenges the common habit of treating prayer like a last-ditch effort. Instead, prayer should be your first option—in trouble, in joy, and in every in-between moment. He points to the testimonies of Scripture where God moved mightily as His people prayed: Moses, Joshua, Hannah, David, Elijah, Daniel—and most powerfully, Jesus Himself. When Christ prayed in Gethsemane, the forces of darkness trembled, revealing that heaven’s strength is unleashed when we align our will with God’s perfect plan.

Whether your relationships feel strained, your heart feels heavy, or your soul feels dry, this devotional calls you back to the simplest, strongest step of faith: pray—trusting God is not intimidated by your circumstances, and believing His promise that when you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.

Prayer: Lord, in Your mercy, restore my soul and prepare me for the life You have planned for me. I want to live for You and trust You to finish Your work in me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:8, 10).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Pray or Faint: 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

When life disappoints, it’s easy to drift into a subtle resignation: Why pray? In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef refuses that mindset and calls believers back to prayer as a matter of the will—not emotion, not mood, not convenience.

Rooted in God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:12–13, Dr. Youssef reminds us that God invites His people into real relationship: call on Me, come and pray… seek Me and find Me. Through Christ, we have the privilege of entering God’s presence—where we receive wisdom, guidance, protection, and power to stand firm against the enemy.

You’ll also hear why prayer is indispensable in spiritual warfare. Scripture makes clear that a battle rages beyond what we can see (Ephesians 6:12), but we are not defenseless. Our weapons are not worldly or “carnal”—they carry divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3–4). When the bottom drops out, this devotional will strengthen your resolve to pray with faith, knowing God hears you and meets you with sustaining power.

Prayer: Father, You are Almighty God, and I acknowledge my utter dependence on You. I pray for Your will for my life. May I receive it with joy and thanksgiving knowing You love me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon series Call on Me: 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