Somewhere in the middle of work, relationships and running your kids to their dance class-oh and don’t forget about taking the dog to the vet- you have forgotten what it feels like to slow down for a few minutes and spend quiet time with God and you have decided enough is enough! It is time to start fitting time with God back into your days…but where do you even start?
First off, High-freaking-five, sister!
As a matter of a fact, I was standing in your shoes just a few short years ago.
I felt tired and overwhelmed.
I felt like I was missing something and I just couldn’t quite place the feeling.
Turns out I was having all my needs met except for the most important need:
Quiet time with God!
As a wife, a mom and a career enthusiast, I was trying to figure out how to fit all the things in my day without dropping a ball between work and home and definitely felt like I had zero time left at the end of the day to spend being intentional with God. (what was I doing? Good question! Check out this list of 37 things you are probably wasting your time on!)
I seriously have a special place in my heart for other women trying to figure out how to have quiet time with God; who long for a deeper connection with God.
I have cried those tears of frustration…
Felt that constant feeling of rushing.
I’ve battled with the never enoughness feeling that this world can push you into.
And through reclaiming my quiet time with God, I have come out on the other side of all the chaos far better than I could have ever imagined.
God has a perfect plan, especially designed for each one of us.
He has an abundance of forgiveness, love and grace just waiting for you and I have found it’s been the easiest to find and clearly hear when you focus on fitting in quiet time with God each day.
What is Quiet Time With God
Devotion time with God, or as I like to call it, quiet time with God, is time where you can truly begin to connect with God.
It isn’t the exhausted prayers at the end of the night that you fall asleep during you ramble off as a habit.
It isn’t the holiday dinner prayer.
It’s about intentionally showing up to God; to seek him, learn from him and connect with him!
We see that intentionality in Matthew 6:6:
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
This is probably my favorite bible verse about spending time with God as it focuses on being intentional about what you are doing, it reminds us the importance of prayer, spending that quality time with God and it reflects the intimacy that a relationship with God brings you.
We also read several times in the New Testament that Jesus went off alone to pray and be with God…
Importance of Spending Time With God: Benefits of God’s Presence
You don’t have to carve out an hour to pour into scripture to start spending time with God (though it is time well spent if you do have an hour!). He is just on the other end of you shifting your focus to him, it really is as simple as that!
There are so many things I could tell you about when it comes to the importance of spending time with God or the unlimited benefits of God’s presence in your life and I know you will experience them all as you begin to develop or strengthen your own relationship with God!
For me, the most important is that he asks us to spend time with him; just as anyone who loves someone would (Revelation 22:17 and Matthew 5:6).
In him, we will find a kind of rest that we won’t get even if we have the best sleep routine! Psalm 62:1 is a great verse to this: “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him”.
Just as you will find your thirst forever taken care of, he too will provide you with rest.
If you are like I was and in need of rest, draw near to him!
It is also important to remember that spending time with God will allow him to provide you with his wisdom, guidance and reveal his will for your life!
How to Make Time For God
Making time for God might sound like one more thing on your to do list but that really is not the intention!
While I would love for you to make a habit of daily quiet time with God, what I really want is for you to fall in love with it! Fall in love with the time you get to spend with God or just sitting at the feet of Jesus… whether it is 3 minutes or 33 minutes, let the grace and salvation pour into you!
Not just because you like to cross things off your to do list. But because your love for the Lord grows so deep that a day without quiet time with God feels like you didn’t brush your teeth… something really important is missing in your day!
As you begin to reflect on your own schedule and think about how to make time for God, I want you to keep your why at the center!
Why are you reading to start focusing on quiet time with God?
Don’t lose sight of that very important why. It will pull you through on the days when it seems like everything in the world is trying to keep you from carving out even just 3 minutes for spending time with God.
When it comes to figuring out how to make time for God try putting it in the morning! Wake up an extra 15 minutes and use that time to connect with God! I find that the morning is the best time to connect with God because it sets your mind and heart up for the entire day!
Trust me, you’ll appreciate the feeling of having a God centered and soul filled day!
If you are still thinking the mornings aren’t for you but you want to focus on putting God first, check out this list of more ideas that will help you draw near to God!
How to Spend Time With God
When it comes to how to spend time with God, remember that God doesn’t need you to show up as anyone other than your truest self. Even if that means showing up overwhelmed or feel like the biggest hot mess around, he loves you just as you are!
Show up for 3 minutes or 33 minutes, just make sure you A) show up and B) show up with an open heart!
Here are 5 totally tested & totally approved favorite ways to spend time with God. (and I’ve sprinkled in a few more ‘spending time with God Bible verses’ for good measure 😊):
1.Prayer Journaling
Have you ever tried to prayer journal before? *This is my go-to quality time with God activity! Something about writing out my thoughts as if I’m having a conversation with him has helped me process and grow in faith more than I ever imagined!
Communication with God occurs in all ways, don’t forget the power of the pen!
If you are new to prayer journaling or want to give it another shot, I break it all down for you in this beginners guide to prayer journaling.
2. Reading Scripture
When it comes to thinking about how to spend time with God, reading scripture is towards the top of the list! I spend more days in scripture than not but it hasn’t always been like that! I feel like in the last year I have read more scripture than I have in my entire life!
And to be honest, I used to read the Bible and it felt foreign to me, even being a Christian. So many dang names and towns I could never pronounce and I got lost jumping from verse to verse. I’ve slowed down, read entire chapters, googled and studied parts within the chapters I didn’t quite follow.
I really do feel like something is missing when I skip it (remember my teeth brushing analogy above!). I think you’ll be surprised at how much more clarity is seen in God’s word when you are consistent in reading it!
The Bible is the WORD OF GOD. Use it, learn it, love it!
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”
– Ephesians 6:17
3. Just talk to God
You can’t make spending time with God any easier than just simply start talking to him. Sharing what’s on your heart can occur any time of the day and I encourage you to sprinkle this throughout your entire day!
He is always ready for us- always!
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
– Psalm 139:4
You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”
4.Find Your Church Community
There is no greater way to feel the spirit of the Lord than to surround yourself with like-minded people! It might mean you try on a few different churches! Or consider getting more involved in your current one to begin building relationships that bring you closer to God!
You might be wondering how attending Church is quiet?
Trust me! I have had some of the most teary-eye, God is all around me, moments of goodness right there in the middle of worshipping with others!
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:24-25
5.Read a Faith Based Book
Another way to spend quality time with God is through reading spiritual books. If you are an avid reader (or audible user) ask God to bring forward the right book for you!
There are so many great books out there. Here is a short list of book ideas to check out. They are all very different books but they all gave me some different perspective and thought-provoking moments!
-Own Your Everyday by Jordan Lee Dooley
-Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst
-Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes
It Is Now Time To Spend Time With God…
As you can tell, finding quiet time with God doesn’t need to be complicated!
Whether you’ve decided to make a Daily Bible Reading Plan or are ready to join the free Prayer Journaling series Ready, Set, Journal!, I hope that the quiet time with God brings you the missing piece to your life puzzle.
I pray that you not only begin to know just how much he loves you but that you also begin to realize that he has an unwavering, unlimited amount of love and an abundance of grace just waiting for you.
So, whether it has been a few months, a few years or this is the first time that you look to sit quietly with God, I am cheering you on!
And don’t forget, if you scroll social media or catch up on Netflix, you can find time for God 😉
