A Primer on Lectio 365: A Simple Doorway To Consistent Prayer
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We’ve spent years in conversation with many hundreds of Christian thought leaders, asking them questions. Among these questions is this: What resources have made the biggest difference in your spiritual life? Their answers have been remarkably consistent. This is one of the ten most recommended.
It began with a student-led prayer vigil in 1999 — one week of worship and intercession that never quite stopped. From that single flame, the 24-7 Prayer movement has grown into thousands of prayer rooms and communities spanning the globe. And in 2019, that same heartbeat of ceaseless prayer found a new home: your pocket.
Ancient Practice Meets Modern Life
At its simplest, Lectio 365 is a free daily devotional app. Morning, midday, and evening, it invites you to do something countercultural: pause. Each reflection draws from the ancient practice of lectio divina — the slow, prayerful reading of Scripture that has nourished Christians for centuries — while following a rhythm the movement calls P.R.A.Y.: pause, rejoice and reflect, ask, yield.
The voices guiding you through each devotion include leaders and friends of 24-7 Prayer, including founder and author Pete Greig and pastor and writer Tyler Staton, as well as a diverse team of spiritual directors, pastors, and storytellers from around the world. In roughly ten to fifteen minutes, they walk you through Scripture, silence, and intercession — just enough to mark the hours of your day with intention.
Lectio 365
Why It Resonates
Lectio 365’s appeal lies in its beautiful simplicity. You can read or listen to each day’s devotion — whatever suits your commute, your morning routine, or those wakeful hours before dawn. The app lets you set reminders and download content a week ahead for offline use. Themed series follow the church calendar, address current events, and explore six core practices that shape spiritual formation: prayer, justice, hospitality, learning, mission, and creativity.
The numbers tell their own story. Since its 2019 launch, Lectio 365 has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of users each month, with ratings hovering between 4.5 and 4.8 stars across major app stores. One iOS reviewer describes it simply as a daily companion that has “changed my life.”
Ministry leaders have taken notice, too. Peer Magazine, a publication of The Salvation Army, commends the app as “simple and poignant,” especially for those still learning to carve out space for God. Curate Ministries, a nonprofit focused on spiritual direction, calls it the formation app they use and recommend most often.
A Gentle Rule of Life
If your prayer life feels scattered or screen-driven, Lectio 365 offers something different: a gentle but steady rule of life. It will not replace the depth of personal Scripture study or the gathered worship of your local church. But it can meet you in the quiet edges of your schedule — while walking the dog, waiting in the carpool line, or lying awake at 2 a.m. — and help you build a daily habit of turning toward God.
With Scripture at the center, a global prayer movement behind it, and a design that assumes your life is already full, Lectio 365 is less a spiritual shortcut and more a simple doorway. Open it, and you may find yourself — like countless others — slowly learning what it means to pray “without ceasing” in the middle of an ordinary day.
Lectio 365 is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play.