Finding Room for Spiritual Life

Welcome to my quarantine office. And by “office,” I mean my dining room table, which is also our family’s new homeschool. This is how most of my days look right now, trying to simultaneously run two different grade levels while not totally ignoring my other work and responsibilities at the same time.

We’ve all had our routines upended these past few weeks, and for many of us, the first thing to fall off the daily agenda is our spiritual lives. The idea of spending extended time in a quiet room to pray and seek God’s presence seems impossible. At the end of the day I’m exhausted, in the early morning I’m still tired and would rather get a little more sleep, and all the hours in between I never get to stop thinking and moving from task to task.

If you’re feeling a similar strain on your spiritual life, I have some good news!

God loves you. God is with you. Right now.

Quiet times aren’t the only way for us to connect to God’s presence. He is always with us, near us, closer than we can even feel on the best of days. And while blocking time and space helps so much to have an easier time experiencing that nearness again, his presence doesn’t come and go.

That means that for all the other times in our busy days, we can still draw nearer to him.

This hasn’t been easy for me, but here are some practical things that I’ve found are making it a little easier.

Short Prayers

For me, this has started to take the form of quick, repetitive prayers throughout the day. That photo is where I spend my time, and while I bounce between school questions, I’ll quickly say a single phrase in prayer. “Father, let me know you’re with me.” “Father, help me feel you love me.” “Jesus, help me love like you do.” “Holy Spirit, please comfort my heart with your presence.”

No matter how busy I am, I can say one of these in my head over and over again as I’m going through the day. And guess what? God is a good Father who loves us. He hears us when we call on him, no matter how many words we use.

Worship Music

For me, having music playing always helps me feel steadier and more able to go about my day, regardless of the circumstances. And at times like this, playing worship music is a really helpful tool for setting your mind and heart, having a constant background reminder and reassurance. Whether it’s over headphones with one earbud in, or playing in the house, give this a try.

If you’re looking for music to use, we’re going to be sharing Spotify playlists of music that’s helping us! Here is a playlist of songs we’re listening to this Holy Week. (click here)

Dwell App

Another thing I’ve loved having in the background is someone reading the Bible to me. The app Dwell has been a huge help. I usually pick something like a Psalm and set it to repeat. I can have one headphone in and let it play over and over in the background. I’m not sitting still and meditating. But as I’m going through my day, I’m hearing someone read scripture to me. It’s still letting scripture sink in, reminding me that God is near, and giving me one more external thing to push my thoughts back to God. (click here to try it free)

Text a Friend

While we don’t have lots of open time for phone calls, it’s still a huge help for my heart to talk with friends. People make me feel less isolated, and make it easier for me to feel like God really is still with me.

I’ve started to keep a list of people I used to see on a regular basis, but now need to make a point to get regular contact with them. As I’m going through my day, I can regularly take half a second to glance at the list and send someone a quick text to say hi. These conversations may have delays between responses as we manage our days, but it’s still connection. Even a few words shared with a friend can point us to the nearness of God.

Don’t Go It Alone

We’d love to hear things that are helping you pursue God’s presence in this new context. Share something with us online, try one of the things above and let us know how it goes for you, and tell a friend what you’re doing.

For more ways to connect with us at Redemption, go to redemptionhou.com/connect