Is life feeling a little crazy right now?
You might have a newborn and be in survival mode. Perhaps you just started a new job and are trying to figure out your new routine. Maybe you’re running yourself ragged taking your kids to all their practices, performances, games, and activities.
You have too many places to be, too much stuff to do, and too many people relying on you.
And, oh yeah, try to squeeze in an hour-long quiet time in there every day, okay?
I think many of us feel that if we don’t have an hour, thirty minutes, or even fifteen minutes to devote to serious, uninterrupted “quiet time” that we shouldn’t even bother. Somehow, we’ve gotten the idea that meaningful interactions with God can’t happen in five minutes, or even in one minute.
Why is that?
We don’t expect every interaction with our friends, spouses, or children to be rich, life-changing experiences. Even deeply intimate relationships are filled with quiet, everyday moments: gentle hugs before leaving; sweet smiles over lunch; little chats about daily life; quick snuggles before bed. These mundane, seemingly insignificant moments form the foundation for deeper interactions.
So why do we expect our relationship with God to be different?
Why do we expect every moment we spend with God to be lengthy, worshipful bliss? When real life just doesn’t leave room for a lengthy time of prayer and Bible study, why not let go of guilt and connect with God in small ways throughout your day? Those brief moments aren’t insignificant. In fact, I think they lay the foundation and whet your appetite for even deeper connection with God later.
When time is short and life feels out of control, you can connect with God in the midst of the craziness by filling your home with scripture, praying one sentence at a time, listening to scripture and good teaching, and listening to worshipful music.
1// Fill Your Home with Scripture
I love buying and framing beautiful scripture printables. I have them in several rooms in our home, and I have even more pieces just waiting to be hung up.
Displaying verses or quotes from hymns throughout your home is a great way to remind yourself of Biblical truth throughout your day. You won’t notice them every day, but you may be surprised at how they pop out at you on days when you need a little extra encouragement.
If you don’t want to bother with frames, I also have a lot of friends who write their own verses on chalkboards or whiteboards in their homes. You can even use whiteboard markers to write on mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors!
Whatever the medium, filling your home with Biblical encouragement is an excellent way to connect with God throughout the day.
2// Pray, One Sentence at a Time
I think many of us hear others pray in public and feel intimidated. Their lengthy prayers are eloquent and inspirational, and our own prayers seem dull and clumsy in comparison.
Whether we’re praying aloud or silently, our prayers are not an opportunity to show off our spiritual vocabulary. (Remember the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector: God wants humility, not bravado!) Prayer is an opportunity for finite humans to commune with an infinite God.
Your prayers don’t have to be long or filled with big words to bring you into God’s presence. You can come to Him throughout your day to repent, to ask for help, or to offer praise, even if you only have a few simple sentences to offer.
Thank you, Jesus, that we have enough food to eat.
God, thank you for the beautiful birds that visit my yard every morning.
Father, forgive me for being frustrated during my child’s screaming, crying meltdown at the grocery store today.
Holy Spirit, thank you for giving me hope when I’m afraid.
Because of Jesus, our humble prayers will always be heard, even the short ones.
3// Listen to Scripture and Good Teaching
I think one problem many of us struggle with is that we feel like we specifically have to read (with our eyeballs) the Bible to get something out of it. Why not listen to God’s Word as well?
I know what you’re thinking: I’m a visual learner! I don’t get as much out of when I listen instead of read it!
I get it, I’m pretty visual too. But, if you actually don’t have time to read, isn’t listening to it still going to be better than doing nothing?
A little over a year ago I was in the middle of a chronological Bible read-through. As usual, I’d gotten stuck in the Old Testament, so I decided to try something different: listening to my daily “readings” while I was getting ready in the morning or while in the car.
That small change made a huge impact in my life.
I began to look forward to that part of my morning instead of feeling guilty about it. I would listen to more than one day’s worth of my reading plan each day, just because I was enjoying it so much. When life calmed down and I had more time, I would go back and actually read and study the passage later. Listening to God’s Word a little bit at a time actually set the foundation for me to study it more deeply at other times.
The YouVersion app makes it really easy to choose a reading plan and then listen to it on your phone. There are also fancier audio versions of the Bible that have music and sound effects. Do some research, try a few out, and figure out what you like!
After I started listening to the Bible, I also began to enjoy many different Christian podcasts. There is a lot of excellent Biblical teaching out there and it's all completely free. Listening to great teaching helps me know and love the Bible more, even when I don't have a lot of time to sit down and study a passage for myself.
There are about a dozen faith-based podcasts that I subscribe to, but my favorites are Unlocking the Bible with Colin Smith, The Gospel Coalition, and Help Me Teach the Bible with Nancy Guthrie.
4// Listen to Worshipful Music
Sometimes I want to focus on God, but the task at hand requires my full attention or my brain is fried to the point that even listening to someone talk sounds too hard.
That’s when I listen to worshipful music.
I struggle with a tendency to turn on the television just for “background noise.” I’ll turn on a show I’ve seen several times and then half-listen to it as I do something else. Now, television isn’t all bad, so I’m not planning on completely cutting it out of my life, but I’ve been making an effort to at least keep it off when I’m not actually watching it.
Instead, I make a conscious choice to listen to music. Specifically, music that directs my thoughts to God. I have a few different playlists I’ve created for different moods, and I often enjoy listening to contemporary versions of hymns from groups like Page CXVI. If that’s not your thing, no worries! Any music that reminds you of Biblical truth will do!
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Whatever the cause, sometimes life gets overwhelming. In those times, connecting with God might seem close to impossible. Instead of feeling guilty because you can’t spend as much time in prayer or Bible study as you would like, focus on the small ways you can connect with God throughout your day. As you do, you’ll be laying the foundation for deeper connection with God later, as things calm down a bit.
