Pray through the Bible each day with four apps that guide your quiet time.
Lectio 365 sets three short prayer times across the day, and Pray As You Go offers one guided audio session lasting ten to thirteen minutes. Daily Scripture follows a Gospel passage with a written meditation, while Pray the Psalter organises the Psalms into a daily pattern.
The apps draw on work from 24-7 Prayer, a Jesuit ministry and The Servants of the Word, as well as Orthodox prayer with the Psalter. Every app runs on Android and iPhone. On Google Play none of the four shows advertising or in-app purchases, and their Apple pages record no in-app purchases.
Apps for praying with Scripture
1. Lectio 365
Lectio 365 comes from 24-7 Prayer and is built around three pauses for prayer each day. The morning session moves through four steps, abbreviated P.R.A.Y: stillness, a Psalm and a Bible passage to reflect on, asking for help and yielding to God.
At midday the app turns to the Lord’s Prayer and a brief reflection centred on compassion. Night Prayer looks back over the day, gives thanks, confesses what went wrong and prepares for rest. Each session can be heard read aloud, with or without music, or read on screen.
Advantages:
- Three prayer times spread through the day.
- Audio with or without music.
- A clear four-step morning pattern.
2. Pray As You Go
Produced by a Jesuit ministry, Pray As You Go draws on Ignatian spirituality. Its daily session runs for ten to thirteen minutes and combines music, a Scripture reading and questions that invite reflection.
The Android listing says the app needs no subscription or registration. On iPhone, the description adds Examen prayers, imaginative contemplations, prayers for sleep and for mental health, material for children and guides in sign language.
Advantages:
- A short guided session every day.
- Music and reflection questions alongside the reading.
- No registration, according to the Android listing.
3. Daily Scripture
Daily Scripture is produced by an ecumenical brotherhood, The Servants of the Word. Every day brings a short Gospel passage with a reflection on it by Don Schwager, closing with a prayer and some lines from the Psalms.
Older meditations can be browsed in the archive, and you can bookmark meditations and readings to find them later. Material on Bible study and other Christian subjects is included, and the iPhone version lets you set a daily reminder alarm.
Advantages:
- A Gospel reading with a written meditation.
- An archive of past meditations.
- Bookmarks and, on iPhone, a daily alarm.
4. Pray the Psalter
Pray the Psalter, from VDUB Software, is made for praying the Psalms in the Orthodox tradition. You can pray them one at a time, follow the Daily Hours, which assign Psalms to different times of day, or follow that day’s assigned kathismata, either in full or in part.
It uses the King James text, adjusted to follow the Septuagint. On iPhone you can bookmark a Psalm and attach a personal note, and tags let you build your own lists.
Advantages:
- Three ways to pray the Psalms.
- KJV wording aligned with the Septuagint.
- Notes and tags on iPhone.
Finding a prayer rhythm that suits you
Lectio 365 suits anyone who wants to stop for prayer in the morning, at midday and at night. Pray As You Go fits a single guided pause with music, Daily Scripture centres the day on a Gospel passage and its meditation, and Pray the Psalter is for praying through the Psalms in an ordered cycle. To continue, the four buttons above the introduction open a guide to Bible study tools, commentaries and study tips, a selection of apps that let you hear the Bible read, advice on choosing a Christian music playlist and a Bible quiz app.
Graduated in Portuguese/English Literature from the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG), with postgraduate degrees in Art in Education (FAPI) and School Psychopedagogy (FAPI), creator and owner of the website. Successful Writer, has experience writing for blogs in general and works as a writer and editor of the content for Prayer and Faith.