Seeking God During the Busy Seasons
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Because life throws us surprises, opportunities, and hurdles (some desired, others unwanted), demanding circumstances can often catapult us into busy seasons in which we feel overwhelmed and unable to come up for air. If you love the Lord and enjoy studying the Bible, worshiping Him, and making time to dwell in His presence, as I trust that you do, then I believe I can also safely assume that you have experienced times of overwhelm – Times in your life when you didn’t have the time or the energy or the ability to give quiet, focused time to daily prayer and study. And you may be experiencing a time like that right now.
If so, I want to give you some encouragement for this temporary season, and I would also like to shine a light on opportunities for drawing closer to the Lord which you may simply feel too emotionally, mentally, or physically tired to recognize. Keep reading to find six suggestions, Scriptures, and some extra ideas to help you spiritually make the most of the precious time you have with God during this unique season, in which He is longing to visit with you and to pour out His strength and peace and wisdom.
CIRCUMSTANCES THAT DEMAND ALL OUR ATTENTION AND ENERGY
Recently, my family experienced yet another out-of-state move, and my days were FULL for months. My time and my mind were completely consumed with selling and buying houses in a crazy, crazy market plus all that goes with relocating, packing, planning, paperwork, financial stresses, homeschooling (or trying to), scheduling, and continuing my business, besides the normal daily tasks of cleaning, cooking, shopping, and more. So many of the logistics that were necessary for success from all angles and would affect every member of my family fell completely on me. To steal a phrase from my friend Crystal, the pieces of my day had to be fit together like Tetris. I’m sure you can relate!
Because my time was not my own, I had to creatively and intentionally find times and ways throughout the day to thank the Lord, to praise Him, and to allow Him to replenish my soul with His goodness and strength. Even though my quiet time with Him looked very different from what it had previously, God simply carried me like a baby through those weeks. He reminded me through His Word and through wonderful supportive family and precious friends, and He spoke to my spirit over and over during that time.
Difficult and busy seasons are not a reason for shutting down our personal daily time with God, but rather they are a time when we need to draw even closer to Him. However, when we temporarily experience big events, changes, or struggles which drastically affect our schedule and our energy level in an equally big and demanding way, we may find our spiritual fuel tank becoming low if we neglect our relationship with our heavenly Father. For a little while, we can survive on God’s goodness and grace to carry us, but we need to remember that we do need His bread DAILY. Our loving and strong Father doesn’t want us surviving on the left overs; He wants us thriving on today’s nutritious meal.
1. Enjoy God’s presence.
Time with God isn’t about completing a checklist, but rather it’s about enjoying His presence. You don’t have to follow your usual structure for quiet time with God. For example, you may typically read the next chapter you’ve bookmarked and pray over a particular prayer request list, but today, you may need something different, and our wonderful, deep, creative, mighty God understands and knows exactly what you need for this day. Today you may pour out your needs and feelings before Him, worship, and open up to your favorite book in the Bible where you find comfort and joy. God is our refuge and also our rest, and He is delighted when His children come running to Him, especially when we are disheveled and needing solace. Find your joy in sharing with your Creator who wants to walk and talk with you.
- Psalm 23:1-4
- Luke 12:24
- Philippians 4:6-9
2. Incorporate God’s truth and accept His help throughout the day.
Quiet, focused, uninterrupted time given to studying the Bible and seeking Him is certainly important, but for a time during the busy seasons it may not be feasible. If we only place our attention on God when we are able to create the perfect scenario complete with sleeping children, hot coffee, and a pretty sunrise, then we will most likely be very disappointed in our spiritual growth. God wants to be part of our entire day, and that doesn’t only mean making choices that please Him, but it also means pursuing our relationship with Him, and including Him in our thoughts and conversations. God wants to be near you all the time!
My parents unknowingly reminded me of this truth when they visited last. Each time my parents plan to come to our house for a visit, I plan for us to make the most of our time together. I spend extra time making the house tidy and clean, preparing the guest room, making a meal plan, stocking their favorite sodas, and coming up with a tentative schedule of things we can enjoy doing during their visit. I want them to know they are special, that they are worth the extra effort, and that I cherish our time together.
God appreciates when we treat Him that way, too – turning off our devices, gathering our Bible and notepad, giving of our personal time to spend it attentively with Him. But God doesn’t want to only be invited to visit with us when we are looking and feeling our best and there are fresh flowers decorating the table. He also wants to be invited and welcomed when we are exhausted and depleted.
The last time my parents were preparing to come visit, I apologized and warned them, “So… I don’t have anything fun planned, the house is a wreck, and we have some calendar issues, but you’re still invited and you’re welcome to just jump into our daily lives, and come along for the ride.” Did they respond smugly or disappointingly? Of course not. They love me and and my family, and they wanted to just be with us. They didn’t mind that I was sorely lacking in hospitality this time around. In fact, during their visit, my mom grabbed a paintbrush and helped me paint the walls of a couple rooms, and my dad purchased and hung up window blinds which we had been needing for months. God understands when we don’t have everything pulled together. He not only understands, but He longs to help. We just need to invite Him.
I like this quote of Amy Carmichael:
The spirit can sit at the master’s feet while the hands are filled with work for others.
– Amy Carmichael
- Psalm 71:14-16
- John 10:14-15
- 2 Corinthians 9:8
- 1 Thess. 5:16-18
3. Prioritize devotion time with your children over your own devotion time.
If you have children at home, don’t give up family devotion time with them to have your own quiet time. Does this sound like strange advice? I’m not downplaying one’s need to be alone with God, but I am pushing higher on the priority list a child’s need to regularly be led to and fed by God. I have always found that when I open up God’s Word with my children and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our discussion and application of His words, and when we present our needs and shower Him with thankfulness together, my spiritual tank is always filled, too. Not only am I personally encouraged and challenged, but my mama heart knows that I have poured the very best into my children, and my mind is fixed on Him as I move into the next part of the day.
If you are able to find time behind closed doors to spend one-on-one time with God, but you are being interrupted by children, don’t stop or give up because they show up. Snuggle that toddler on your lap as you sing to the Lord or as you continue reading in your Bible. Have your children quietly plop down beside you with a basket of Bible story books and a blanket. If they want to be near you this time, it’s okay. It’s healthy for them to see that their parent loves to spend time with God and prioritizes it. You are setting a healthy example, and God honors your faithfulness.
- Deut. 6:4-8
- Psalm 71:16-17
- Isaiah 40:11
- 2 Timothy 3:14-17
4. Take control of the time you have.
This one hurts, because it really hits home. At least it does for me! I call it “escape time,” but you may know it more as “me time.” I don’t struggle so much with wanting to pamper myself, visit a salon, or take time to be away from children. (In fact, the closest thing I experience to “me time,” is using the bathroom and taking an excessively long hot bath.) However, I do struggle with frequently taking bursts of “escape time” – times when my mind is occupied anywhere else but on me and my responsibilities. I don’t have to be asked twice if I want to sit down and watch a Korean series, read a good book, scroll Facebook, or play a game.
There’s nothing wrong with those things, of course, but I often find that when I feel the most overwhelmed with the tasks ahead of me, I am even more prone to try to “escape,” and this, of course, compounds my overload. And saddest of all, it’s where I would most easily be spending time with God. In denial, I find myself choosing these activities which offer a temporary “escape” rather than choosing time with God which always brings with it rejuvenation and purpose and rest.
Why do I do it? Over and over? Put very simply, it’s a lack of discipline on my part and it’s also a habit. When I began literally forcing my left hand to make my right hand put down the remote or the phone down, and I intentionally picked up my Bible instead, and when I began to choose to turn off the noise and sit quietly at the feet of Jesus, everything changed.
So, if you struggle with this frequent temptation as well, try this trick to help maintain balance:
Any time you begin to make a move to do something unproductive, ask yourself, “Is this activity stimulating my mind in an escape sort of way or is it rejuvenating my mind in a healthy way?” Answering this question helps differentiate between an activity producing healthful rest or just wasted time.
For example, enjoying tea on the back porch listening to the birds is unproductive but it also offers enjoyable moments of quiet when you can still ponder and appreciate God’s blessings and plans for you.
In contrast, uproductive scrolling on your phone, playing an app game, or watching a show is stimulating – These activities may seem mindless in the sense that they distract you from your heavy responsibilities, but they are still stimulating, and they are distracting from God’s voice. Once we have chosen to give our time to God and been refreshed by Him, we find that watching that show or playing that game later is a light and enjoyable pleasure rather than a desperate attempt at survival.
- Isaiah 40:28-31
5. Don’t beat yourself up over yesterday’s failings.
Today is a new day. Right now is a new moment. The enemy would love for you to reflect on the time you haven’t given to the Lord and feel pulled down even further with crippling thoughts of guilt. Don’t fall for it. And don’t tell yourself you’ll start over after the kids go to bed or after the kitchen is clean or tomorrow or on Monday. Just do it now. You don’t have to stop the world’s spinning for an hour. Just for a few minutes. In the time it takes you to throw the laundry in the dryer or to get the mail from the mailbox, you can stop and spend time talking to your Father.
Remember these words from my friend, “Prayer is a non negotiable, because it is the most important thing we can do during the day.” Share your burdens with the One who already knows about them and cares. He is waiting for you.
Today as I was driving, I observed ominous skies and rain from my rear view mirror. But ahead of me was a bright and clear sky promising a beautiful day. Could I see the storm? Yes. But it was behind me. I wasn’t driving that direction. My destination was ahead. With each act of faith and obedience, with each moment spent loving and surrendering to our Lord, with each rising of worship from our heart, our eyes become more deeply set on that gorgeous view ahead. Make the most of right now and seize the beautiful opportunity you have to grow in Him.
- Isaiah 43:16-19
- Lamentations 3:21-26
6. Use the easy times to prepare for the difficult ones.
If you aren’t currently experiencing one of these busy seasons of intense pressure, difficulty, or chaos, this article is still for you. In fact, it’s perfect for you, because you can be preparing now for a time in the future when you will need extra strength. If you joined a battle as a civilian, you wouldn’t have a very good chance of surviving yourself, much less destroying the enemy or aiding your comrades. But if you first went to training and were taught how to be a soldier, you would fare far better during the heat of battle.
God knows this, so in His omniscience, the Holy Spirit graciously prompts us to draw near to Him, to learn, to feast, to train. Now is the time to meditate on God’s Word, to seek God (If you are unsure how to seek God, watch this video about being Hungry for God), and to build yourself up in the faith so that one day, when the time comes, you can simply adjust some straps, clean your gun, and start marching, rather than searching for armor and fumbling around trying to learn how to aim.
Last summer, as in other times of my life, the Lord began preparing me for the upcoming year by speaking His truth into my heart – truth I would later need to carry into the battle I didn’t yet know I would be entering. In hindsight, I can clearly see that He was working within and through and for me before I had any idea that the year would hold changes and difficulties for my family, but even DURING that time, I was able to write:
The Lord has been preparing each of our hearts for this relocation for a long time. And along the way, before we understood why, He alone stopped other plans in their tracks and strengthened the faith of each of us for this new path. I am completely overwhelmed by God’s goodness and His timing. He is our counselor and help and refuge, and I’m walking daily on His carpet of peace. I cannot explain in one post all that He has done, the countless ways He has worked, and the depth of care and love He has shown to us. But I’m praising Him and giving Him glory! This experience gives me just a glimpse into John 21:25 – “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
At the same time, the Lord was also pressing prayer and time with Him heavily on my friend’s heart, because she, without knowing it, was getting reading to embark on one of the busiest and most physically challenging and painful several months of her life as she, too, managed an out-of-state move… along with… pregnancy and a new baby suffering from reflux and digestive issues, crippling postpartum depression, education of their children, frightening medical challenges and experiences, and supporting her husband as he navigated the demands of his position as provider for the family. Her fortress was truly Christ, and I witnessed during our friendship, her strength in the Lord as she crawled through that valley. With her permission, I am sharing in her own words how the Lord sustained her and became her lifeline as she sought Him in the midst of it all:
“How true it is that even just a little time with Him daily, can lift our eyes from the trials and give a curative moment of immeasurable peace to our hearts. This has never been more true than during these last couple years, but especially in this season of deep and intense struggles and challenges. My days were jam packed from the moment my eyes would open until the next morning. It felt impossible to find time to step away and seek Him, but that’s just it. I didn’t need to step away. I could meet Him in the wearisome moments. Seeking Him together with our children in morning devotions and Bible class, in the hours and hours of holding our new baby in such a way so that her little digestive system could feel relief from the pain… I could cry out in song and say the Scriptures that I had hidden in my heart. Those moments pulled me through each day, day after day.
Our Good Savior met me there. Each time I called to Him, He was already waiting with arms open wide. Singing praises to Him with my arms full and so tired, brought me through it all. He has been gently leading me, slowly forging my faith, and making me fall all the more deeply in love with Him.”
– Margaret B.
How wonderful that we can look back and see God’s amazing goodness and love pouring into us. So, whatever busy seasons you are or are not going through right now, be obedient to the Lord. Treasure your time with Him, cherish His words to you, and prioritize your relationship with Him above all others. You will NEVER regret being in God’s presence!
- Psalm 34
- Jeremiah 29:12-13
PRACTICAL WAYS TO LIFT UP JESUS IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS
- Pray as you cook or clean or rock the baby or put gas in the van…
- Sing to Him any time. Sing songs that you already love or sing a song from your heart. Exalt Him. May His praise be continually on our lips.
- Intentionally meditate on Scripture or encouragement that God has given to you.
- Write Scriptures on note cards or slips of paper and post them all over your house.
- Turn on worshipful music that focuses your mind on Him.
- Listen to the Bible on audio book.
- Listen to a podcast.
- Continue faithfully attending your church and meeting with other believers as much as is physically and logistically feasible. You will experience further nourishment, affirmation, and love from God through His body of believers.
- Keep an extra Bible in your vehicle for those “boring” times like when you are waiting in the parking lot. Resist the habit of scrolling on your phone, and pick up God’s wonderful Word instead!
