Making Time for God in the Busyness of it All

Prayer: Hello? Oh hey God, I’ve been meaning to reach out but it’s been so crazy around here.  I know I should make more time to spend…

*shouts* Stop hitting your sister and no, you can’t have a snack and can somebody PLEASE get the baby?!?!

Ok, sorry about that God, I’m back…hello Father. 

How many of us can relate to this scenario?  Every time we sit down to get our time in with God, something comes up.  The phone rings, it’s time to cook dinner, one of our children is crying, something is always going on. 

And…even when you can find a sliver of time to sit with the Father, you may feel rushed trying to cram an entire conversation into a few rushed minutes.  We throw up a few ‘thank you’s,’ ask for a few things that we really need, and then rush off to finish everything else.

I promise I am not judging you because when I say “we”, I really do mean you AND me.  I’ve lived this life myself, believe me, I know what I’m talking about. I know how hard it is to get quiet time alone with God. I know how hard it is to get quiet time alone just for yourself.  But regardless of how hard it is, you have to do it!  Your time with God is when you can lay all of your hurts, worries, frustrations, and needs at his feet.  It is the time for you to pour everything out and allow God to fill you back up.

So, how do you do it you ask?  Here’s what I’ve been doing, hopefully, it will work for you too.

1. Schedule it: What happens in the morning at your house?  What time does your husband leave for  work? What time do your children leave for school? You have to account for all that goes into your household and then separate some time.  For me, it’s around 6:10 am.  By 6:10 am, my youngest who is almost eight is just about dressed for school and I’ve already reminded my 13-year-old at least twice to get up and get in the shower.  There is about a 15 – 20 minute window where the house is quiet and nobody needs me.  This is the time that I sit with God.

2. Pick a place: This is your “God spot”, where you know that when you are in this spot, you are spending time with God.  Teach your family about the spot too, that way they know and learn to respect your time.  My spot is on the loveseat that sits in front of the window in my living room.  I come downstairs, grab my afghan that my Grandmother lovingly made for me when I was a teenager, and spend time with God.  When any of my children see me in this spot, they know not to interrupt me unless it is an emergency. 

For some, a special spot might be the shower or even the car while you’re waiting in the carpool line. You can talk to God anywhere.

3. Make a plan: You have to know what you’re going to do once you get in your spot.  I’m not saying you have to have a full lesson plan written out, but you should have a general idea that way you can use your time wisely.  I start my quiet time listening to a worship song, allowing the song and God to speak to me.  After that, I open my Bible app and do a daily devotional reading plan. Then I open up my paper Bible and read a few scriptures from there. Today I focused on not worrying about things that go on around me and remembering that God always provides (Psalm 56:3,9 and 11, Matthew 6:25 – 34, and Jeremiah 17:7 – 8).  After that, I seal my time with prayer.

This is what has been working for me, allow God to show you what will work for you. 

One final thought, remember that God is not like man, He isn’t going to penalize you because you haven’t spent a certain amount of time with him or because you got interrupted.  God is a gratuitous, just, loving, and patient God.  He is waiting patiently for us and all we have to do is…set aside a little time.