How To Spend Time with God with a Busy Schedule

Are you wondering how to spend time with God with a busy schedule?  The busyness of life can sometimes take us away from spending time with God. Children, family, jobs, and responsibilities can pull us in a million directions. They may be important, worthwhile, and Godly endeavors, but can keep us from spending time with God. We may even feel the Holy Spirit tugging at us but wonder how to add one more thing to our day.

how to spend time with God

“If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.” Corrie ten Boom

That quote had a huge impact on me when I first read it. I’d been making excuses for why I couldn’t spend time with God in many seasons of my life:

•as a single mom with two small children and working full time,

•a stay at home mom with four children (juggling everything from driver’s training to potty training!),

• when I went back to work part-time with children at home….

My schedule was always full. Someone or something was always competing for my time.

We can fill our lives with busyness no matter what age or stage of life. Making time for God requires effort, purposeful attention, and a search of our hearts.

how to spend time with God- facebook post wfith purple and orange flowers in corners and corrie ten boom quote

Spending Time with God

Giving your time to God should be your priority. It’s not about having the time; it’s making the time for God. So how do you make time for God?

• Be intentional about evaluating how and where you spend your time. A good starting place is to think about your day and decide where you can give God the attention he deserves.

Set an alarm on your phone, put it in your planner, whatever works for you- but evaluate first and then commit to making the time.

There were years when my time with God was best spent after everyone was in bed. That was when the least distractions occurred.

Different seasons of life bring different distractions and my time with God has now changed to the mornings.

• Making time for God doesn’t always mean sitting quietly reading your Bible and enjoying a favorite beverage. There will be times where we are spending 5-minute increments before we walk out the door, or while we are in the car, in the shower, or performing a mindless chore.

We can use those times for worship and conversation with God. Once you commit and keep your time with God, you will begin to crave that interaction with him.

Quality Time with God

• Quality is always better than quantity; even more so when making time for God.  Even if you only have 5 or 10 minutes, give God your full attention in each minute.

Have you ever been talking with a friend who starts scrolling through their phone, or acts distracted? I know I don’t appreciate it and I know God deserves better than that too!

Jesus Spent Time with God

There will be days that get crazy and you’re scheduled time gets upended.  Don’t get discouraged!  When we look at the times Jesus spent time alone with God, we see that his “quiet time” varied too!

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

In the late afternoon after feeding the 5,000, Jesus dismissed his disciples and “went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Matthew 14:23

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God.” Luke 6:12

No matter the time of day, Jesus shows us it’s important to make time for Him. This is what will give us true rest, renewal, and a time to recharge for what our busy days hold.

We can tell ourselves we have no time for God, but then spend time in mindless activities- scrolling through social media (guilty!), binge-watching TV shows; we all have activities we spend time on to relax.

None of these activities give us the lasting refreshment that God can. Don’t let them or the craziness, busyness, or stresses of your life take you away from the One who loves you most.

Bible Verses about Spending Time with God

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Spending time in His word lets us clearly see what path we need to take.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” James 4:8a

What a beautiful invitation and promise!

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

We can experience peace in our lives when our thoughts are cemented in Him.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8

Find comfort and strength in spending time with our Rock and Redeemer- pour out every praise and concern to Him.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

Our God wants to be our constant companion- knowing Him completely, trusting in His strength.

Making Time for the Lord

Making time for God shouldn’t be part of our “to-do” list. It isn’t something that requires more willpower or being more disciplined.

Making time for God needs to be a true longing in our heart. Jesus traveled up the mountain and to solitary places because he craved time with his Father. That should be the desire of our hearts too. Otherwise, the excuses keep coming; we push it to the back of our minds, and we stay busy and disconnected.

Listen to that prompting of the Holy Spirit. Let him convict you, care for you, and give you lasting, perfect peace among your busy life.

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Ways to Spend Time with God

• Begin with prayer: Pray for a heart like Jesus. Pray for reminders and ask him to prompt you to make time for him. Pray to overcome distractions that lead you away from Him.

•Connect with Him in small ways through the day- make it a habit to talk to Him (how you’re feeling, ask for help/guidance, concerns, etc) as you do household chores, look for His beauty in the physical world and praise Him, sit quietly, even if it’s just for 60 secs to listen to His voice…

As you fold laundry, pray about the person who wears them- even yourself!

Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Jesus praised Mary for “choosing what was better”- spending time with Him.

• Put down that TV remote, your phone, your tablet, or whatever distracts you. Make time for God first, then move on to Netflix, social media, or those household chores.

• I bought a small Bible that’s easy to take with me when I am out and about. I like to write in my Bibles, so sometimes it’s my preferred method of being in his word versus the Bible app on my phone.

• Download audio versions of Bible studies, devotionals, audiobooks, podcasts, sermons, etc. to listen to in the car, while out for a walk or run, at the gym, etc.

Giving Your Time to God

• Commit to a start of just 5 minutes on your phone’s Bible app before hopping on social media or checking email. Set a timer if that helps you stay committed.

• Put sticky notes with Bible verses on them on the mirror in your bathroom, in your car, on your desk, etc. Meditate on them throughout the day.  I put a tiny magnet on my bathroom mirror that simply says “love” to remind me of and thank God for His love.  It’s a topic I never get tired of thinking about!

•Color a Bible verse and meditate on it’s meaning- you can find some free ones in my Resource Page! Just scroll down to Bible verse Coloring Pages (there are even some for children)

Bible Verse Coloring Pages samples on aqua blue background

Spend Time with God

Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have. All relationships grow with time spent together.

The more we read about God’s character, the more we learn about who He is. That in turn, builds our faith and trust in Him.

Making time for God through worship, praise, and thanksgiving strengthens our relationship. Sit quietly before Him, he will speak to you.

When you spend time with God, he will recharge your spirit.  This is especially important when you are busy and overburdened with a hectic schedule.

How do you make time for God in your busy schedule? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Encouraging Thought for Your Week:  There is no time spent with God that is wasted. Start with just 5 minutes more each day this week and see how He blesses you!

Blessings!

AnnMarie

Would you like to go deeper into this subject? Click on the image below to directly access this worksheet.

reflection questions for making time for God with a busy schedule- winter floral banner at top of page with blue berries and fir branches

All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.

Photo Credit: Canva

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