My child woke me up in the middle of the night again.
Dishes, laundry, and cleaning are piling up. I still haven’t eaten breakfast.
I don’t know how to survive today, let alone get my quiet time in!
Has this ever been you? It’s certainly been me.
The phrase “quiet time”—spending time reading the Bible, connecting with God, and praying—is something most women crave, especially mothers.
I grew up thinking my quiet time had to be early in the morning and done in solitude. This thinking led me to feel like a failure when all I could squeeze in on a particular day was a morning prayer while I rushed off to work.
Sometimes we think if we go to sleep earlier and set our alarm 30 minutes earlier, then we can have quiet time with God. But we often aren’t successful with this model, especially those of us with spouses and kids.
Although the desire to spend time with God is a good goal, most people struggle to maintain an early morning quiet time or consistent Bible study routine.
Quiet time doesn’t have to consist of stipulations we place on it.
What if we looked at our time with God as something we could have in the midst of our kids playing, causing messes, and even needing our attention?
Setting aside quiet time away from the chaos in our homes is difficult.
Rather than striving for perfection, let’s walk in the messy, beautiful life God has given us and incorporate a consistent Bible study routine despite the noise.
God Meets Us Where We Are
In John 4, Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman at the well. This woman was going throughout her day when Jesus stepped into her regular routine.
Jesus asked for a drink of water and had a conversation with her.
Just like Jesus engaged the lady at the well, God can meet us in our duties of everyday life and talk with us.
We don’t need everything to be calm and clean to spend time with our Savior.
We can connect with God at any time during our day. He will meet us exactly where we are, especially when our day doesn’t go as planned.
Grace for an Inconsistent Bible Study Routine
I wish every day went exactly according to plan: I wake up early, spend time with God, exercise, and then the kids wake up.
Unfortunately, some days, the kids are sick, alarms are missed, and things get broken.
When things go awry, we have a choice. We can either be hard on ourselves for not keeping our Bible study routine, or we can remember God’s grace extends to us even in these circumstances.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that although he felt unworthy at times, God’s grace was sufficient (1 Cor 15:9– 11).
Even when we don’t give the right amount of time to God in our day, He extends His grace and still loves us.
Creative Ways to Practice Consistency
To stay consistent with a Bible study routine, recognize every day may look different when spending time with the Lord.
Consistency doesn’t mean doing the same thing at the same time every day, but practicing the same principles and staying the course.
One day, a consistent Bible study rhythm could involve reading a study Bible before kids wake up or nap, checking cross-references, and writing a prayer in a journal.
Another day, we can still keep a consistent Bible study routine by practicing the following:
1 – Listen to worship music in the car.
2 – Listen to the Bible while doing laundry or the dishes.
3 – Read our Bible while kids play.
4 – Pray on a walk or in the shower.
Not every day looks the same.
Some days we may have our quiet time later, and other days it’s earlier.
Some days, it happens at the kitchen table while the kids are napping in the next room over. On other days, it happens at the same table while they scream and need to be held.
But one thing stays the same: we create space to meet with God and enjoy time in His presence.
Consistent daily time spent in God’s presence helps us grow and isn’t limited to looking identical each day.
The Power of God’s Presence
Something powerful happens when we incorporate time with God into our everyday tasks and in the presence of our kids.
I imagine God loves being invited into our drive to work, our never-ending list of chores, when we exercise, and when we spend time caring for our children.
The more time we spend with the Lord, the more He becomes our refuge and the more we want to shout from the rooftops how good He really is (Ps 73:28).
Friend, life can be messy, but God is always willing to meet us in these messes.
Our Bible study routine can look different in each stage of life.
As we walk through each season, may we be consistent with spending daily time with God and continue to grow with Him. God will give us everything we need to live our day to its fullest.
Rebekah Nash
Rebekah R Nash is a child of God, wife, mother of three girls, and a published author. She majored in Communication Studies and has a passion to encourage other women. While working from home full-time, she pours her free time into writing, exercising, and developing a photobooth business. Connect with her on Facebook and Instagram (@rebekahrnash and @memoriesbyrebekahnash).
