Five Ways to Carve Out Time for God, Every Day

Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk are both dear, wise friends who make time with God a priority. Karen’s blog was one of the first I ever read, and she’s never stopped being a mentor to me, and Ruth’s wisdom truly is the fragrance of Christ. It’s a grace to welcome Karen and Ruth to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is “How do you connect with God during your day?”

That question simply can’t be answered in a one-size-fits-all response—because we each are in different seasons of life—but I do have strategies to share. Without a doubt, I can tell you what the first step is: BE PREPARED.

The well-worn saying is true, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” This is true when it comes to carving out time to connect with Jesus. No plan? No time with him. That is often how it goes.

Years ago, when I began my walk with Jesus, I discovered how imperative it was that I spend time with him reading the Bible, praying, and being still in His presence.

“We will have a much greater success rate if we plan ahead, putting our appointments with God on our calendar just like any other important meeting, and have all the tools we need in one place.“

Older Christians warned me not to be legalistic about it by insisting on a time of day or length of time. I also learned that there wasn’t only one method for doing this well. But I did come to understand how crucial it is to be prepared.

We will have a much greater success rate if we plan ahead, putting our appointments with God on our calendar just like any other important meeting, and have all the tools we need in one place.

Hosea 10:12 speaks about our quest to seek the Lord during our days in terms of growth and gardening: “Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.”

The Hebrew word for “seek” in this verse is darash. This word doesn’t just mean to look at something or someone. It can mean one or all of the following: to care, to study, to inquire, to consult, to investigate, to ask or question, and to search carefully for.

Isn’t this the goal of our time with Jesus?

We show him our care and love during our time spent alone with him. We investigate Scripture, carefully searching for his will. And—much like a gardener—we need to be patient, allowing seeds that have been sown to grow into a harvest of faithful love. Sometimes we need to break up the unplowed ground, exploring new territory with the Lord. Sometimes this territory is unfamiliar or even frightening. But he is there all along. As we seek him, he sends righteousness on us like the rain.

Here are five tips to help you develop a personal & consistent time with God:

1. Release pictures of perfection from your mind.

You know those images because you’ve seen them on social media: a well-worn and perfectly color-coded Bible with a cup of steaming coffee nearby. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy a cup of coffee on the porch when I read my Bible.

What I mean is that we have to get familiar with non-picture-perfect times because they are much more common than the social-media-worthy ones. I’ve met with God on the sidelines of a baseball field. I’ve spent time praying in a coffee shop between medical appointments. The goal is not perfection. The goal is consistency.

2. Reexamine your schedule.

Another false notion is that time alone with God must happen before anyone else is awake. Everyone has a different schedule. Think through your commitments for the coming day before you go to bed. Identify when you can spend time with God—early in the morning, last thing before bed, or sometime in between.

3. Break it up into smaller portions.

Connecting with God does not need to be done in one fell swoop. I might pray for a relative each time I brush my teeth. When I drive into the city, I pray for another loved one. When I drive home, I might pray for a friend. I leave a few Bibles out around the house, ready whenever I have a few minutes. We might not be able to spend an entire thirty minutes with God in one stretch, but if we break it up, we may still be able to meet our goal by the day’s end.

4. Assemble a TAG basket.

TAG stands for Time Alone with God. For years, I have kept everything I need for my meetings with God—Bible, a journal, pens, etc.—in one place. I’ve used backpacks, tote bags, baskets, and other containers that I could easily move from place to place. Gather your own items and make a TAG basket.

5. Use your ears.

One way to make sure you have a steady intake of Scripture is to broaden your thinking about Scripture from reading it only to also include hearing it: online, through an app, or with an audiobook. When you have times of waiting, such as in the carpool line, or when you are folding laundry, you can use your ears to take God’s Word into your soul.

Now make it a matter of prayer.

Ask God to help you creatively carve out time each day to grow your relationship with Him.

And then feel how His presence flourishes your soul.

Ruth Schwenk is the trusted author of several books and founder of the popular blog The Better Mom. Ruth is a Michigan football super-fan and a self-proclaimed foodie. But her greatest joy is her family. Connect with her at TheBetterMom.com.

Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author and Bible teacher with Proverbs 31 Ministries as well as a writer for Encouragement for Today, an online devotional that reaches more than four million women daily. Connect with her at KarenEhman.com.

Ruth and Karen’s new book, The Love Your Life Project, offers women a forty-day, step-by-step, personalized plan to discover God-ordained meaning for their lives, cultivate productive habits, safeguard times of rest, and live out their passions and priorities.

{Our humble thanks to Bethany House for their partnership in today’s devotional.}