How Do I Make Time for God When Life Is So Busy?
There was a season of my life when I honestly felt as though there wasn't a moment left for me—let alone quiet time with the Lord.
I was a young mother with three children under five years old. We had a very busy schedule at church; there was always something that needed to be done at home, and my children needed me constantly.
I remember feeling as though there simply wasn't enough time.
That season became so demanding that I went seven years without even going to the doctor because I didn't feel that I had anyone to keep my children. Looking back, I can see just how much I was carrying.
Maybe you understand that feeling.
Maybe you're raising children, working, caring for your home, serving at church, helping extended family, keeping appointments, making meals, doing laundry, and trying to remember everything everyone needs from you.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, you think:
Lord, where am I supposed to find time for You?
I understand.
But after many years of motherhood, ministry, family life, and walking with the Lord, I have learned something I wish I had understood better when I was younger:
Sometimes making time for God begins by deciding that we cannot do everything.
Sometimes We Need to Say No
When I look back on those younger years, I believe I should have said no more often.
I was not a strong enough personality at that time to stand up for myself. Sometimes I wanted the approval of others, so when someone asked me to do something for the church, the family, or someone else, I tried to do it.
I tried to keep the house clean.
I tried to take care of my children.
I tried to fulfill all of my responsibilities.
I tried to please everyone.
And it was simply too much.
Today, I believe the Lord would have preferred that I slow down. I didn't need to worry so much about keeping my house perfectly clean or gaining someone else's approval.
I needed more time with Him.
I needed more time with my children.
I needed more time with my family.
There are many good things we can do, but we need wisdom to recognize that every good opportunity is not necessarily something God has asked us personally to do.
Sometimes we become so busy serving that we neglect the very relationship from which our service should flow.
Your Time With God Does Not Have to Be Complicated
When my children were small, the only quiet time I could sometimes find was very early in the morning or late at night.
I would try to read my Bible, spend some time in prayer, sit quietly, and ponder the day.
It wasn't elaborate.
It didn't require a perfect room, a perfect schedule, or hours of uninterrupted time.
It was simply time with the Lord.
Later, when I was working, some of my sweetest times with God happened alone in my car.
That time became precious to me.
Prayer became very real.
That is something I would tell a busy woman today: don't become so focused on creating the perfect quiet time that you miss the small opportunities God has already given you. If you'd like to go deeper in your reading, How to Study the King James Bible | Four Practices That Go Deeper shares practical ways to make every minute count.
You might:
Get up a few minutes before the rest of your family.
Go to your car during your lunch break and pray.
Read a portion of your Bible before beginning the day's work.
Spend a few quiet minutes with the Lord in the evening.
Turn off the noise during your drive and talk to Him.
Gather your children in the evening and spend time with Him together.
Ten or fifteen quiet minutes given sincerely to the Lord can become precious.
Seek the Lord While He May Be Found
One Scripture that comes to my heart when I think about making time for God is Isaiah 55:6:
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” — Isaiah 55:6, KJV
There is something important in those words:
Seek ye the LORD.
We make time for many things because we decide they matter.
Appointments go on the calendar.
Meals have to be prepared.
Children have to be taken where they need to go.
Work has deadlines.
But our time with the Lord matters too.
We may not always have an hour. Some seasons of life simply do not allow the same schedule as others.
But we can seek Him in the moments we have.
Let Your Children See You Walk With God
One of the things I would strongly encourage young mothers and young families to establish is an altar of prayer in the home.
Bow together before the Lord as a family—as one unit.
Read the Bible together.
Pray together.
Talk about the day's events.
There may be things we did that we should not have done. There may be things we should have done but didn't.
Talk about those things.
Grow together.
Don't be ashamed for your children to see you praying or reading your Bible. Let them see that seeking the Lord is simply part of the life of your family. For more encouragement on the lasting impact of a mother's faith, read The Sacred Role of Mothers in the Church: From Scripture to Today.
Our children need more than to be told that God is important.
They need to see that He is important to us.
Don't Let Guilt Keep You From Beginning Again
Perhaps you're reading this after one of those days.
The children needed you.
Work was demanding.
Dinner needed to be made.
The house didn't get finished.
Someone called.
Something unexpected happened.
Now you're lying in bed thinking:
I didn't read my Bible today.
I hardly prayed.
I failed again.
Please don't allow that guilt to keep you from reaching for Him tomorrow.
Each day with the Lord is fresh and new.
Begin again.
Reach out to Him.
He knows your heart.
He knows your schedule.
He knows the demands upon your life.
And He is waiting to hear from His children, much like we wait to hear from our own children.
When our grown children call us, we don't say, “You didn't call me yesterday, so I don't want to hear from you today.”
We're simply glad to hear their voice.
So don't allow yesterday to rob you of today.
Bow your head and talk to your Heavenly Father.
You Don't Have to Carry Everything
Sometimes the practical answer to “How do I make more time for God?” may be:
Something else needs to go.
Maybe the house doesn't need to be quite so perfect.
Maybe you don't need to volunteer for every opportunity.
Maybe someone else's expectations don't need to control your schedule.
Maybe you need to say no.
That doesn't mean neglecting the responsibilities God has given you.
It means prayerfully recognizing which responsibilities truly are yours.
There is only so much of you to give.
Your relationship with the Lord matters.
Your marriage matters.
Your children matter.
Your family matters.
Those years with little children pass much more quickly than you realize when you're living through them.
Keep God's Word Close During Busy Seasons
I also believe there is value in having the things you use for Bible reading and prayer close at hand.
When time is limited, you don't want to spend those precious minutes searching for everything you need.
Keep your Bible, journal, pen, highlighters, prayer list, or whatever helps you study together in one place.
This is one of the reasons purposeful Bible-study tools mean so much to me. Something as simple as keeping your Bible protected in a Bible case with your study supplies nearby, or using a prayer journal where your prayers and reflections are already together, can help reduce minor distractions in the limited time you have.
The purpose isn't the product.
The purpose is to help you spend meaningful time in God's Word and in prayer.
At Kinsman & Company, that is why we create and choose products centered around King James Scripture and purposeful use—to help keep God's Word before us in ordinary, everyday life.
While It Is Day
There is another Scripture that has stayed with me:
“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” — John 9:4, KJV
Our time is precious.
That doesn't mean we should fill every available minute with another obligation.
Quite the opposite.
It reminds me to ask:
What truly matters?
There will always be another load of laundry.
There will always be another task.
There will always be something that could be cleaned, organized, finished, or improved.
But there will not always be another morning with little children gathered around your table.
There will not always be another evening to bow together as a family.
And we should never take for granted another opportunity to open God's Word and hear from Him.
He Wants to Hear From You
If you are tired today, don't make spending time with God another complicated thing on your list.
Find a quiet place.
Maybe it's your favorite chair.
Maybe it's beside your bed.
Maybe it's your car during your lunch break.
Just sit quietly.
Bow your head before Him.
Tell Him about your day.
Tell Him about your cares.
Tell Him about your worries.
Thank Him for His goodness and His sweet, sweet mercy.
Thank Him for the sweet Holy Spirit.
Praise Him for watching over your family and keeping them safe.
Share your heart with Him.
You don't have to have beautiful words.
You don't have to have everything together first.
Just reach out to Him.
He wants to hear from you.
For more encouragement on the hidden blessings of time in God's Word, read Unleash Wisdom: Bible Reading's Hidden Secrets.
