What Does The Bible Say About Spending Time With God?
Building a close relationship with God through spending quality time with Him is vital for every Christian. If you feel distant from God or struggle to consistently connect with Him, you’re not alone. Life often gets busy and spending intentional time in God’s presence can fall by the wayside.
Thankfully, God’s Word provides encouragement, wisdom, and guidance when it comes to pursuing an intimate friendship with your Heavenly Father.
The Importance of Spending Time with God
It deepens your relationship and intimacy with God
Spending quality time with God each day allows us to develop a close, intimate relationship with Him. The more time we devote to prayer, reading the Bible, and listening to God, the more we get to know His character and understand His will for our lives.
As our knowledge and love for God grows, so does our trust in Him. We can pour out our hearts to Him and find comfort, wisdom and strength. Just like human friendships need quality time together to flourish, so too does our friendship with God.
Setting aside a portion of each day to focus solely on God provides the soil for an intimate connection with our Creator to take root and blossom.
It transforms you into Christ’s image
The more time we spend beholding God in Scripture, the more we are transformed into His likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
As we fix our eyes on Jesus through Bible reading, meditation and prayer, the Holy Spirit shapes our character to become more like Christ. Spending time in God’s presence rubs off His glorious virtues onto us.
We reflect His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Daily spiritual disciplines provide the pathway for inner renewal and Christlike character development.
It gives you strength and refreshment for daily life
Life can be stressful and draining. Spending time with God each day provides the spiritual nourishment and renewal we need to thrive. Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Time with God is restorative to our souls when we are weary.
It also equips us with divine strength to handle all that life throws at us with grace and fortitude. Just as we need regular meals to nourish our bodies, we need regular time with God to feed our spirits. We tap into the Holy Spirit’s power to get us through challenges when we abide in Christ daily.
Meeting with God provides a calm oasis amidst life’s desert.
How to Spend Time with God
Read the Bible
Reading God’s word is crucial for connecting with Him. Set aside quiet time each day to read a passage or chapter in the Bible. Highlight verses that stand out to you or jot down questions you have in a journal. Popular Bible reading plans can guide you through key passages.
As Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “The word of God is living and active.”
Pray
Talking to God through prayer nurtures intimacy with Him. Thank God for the blessings in your life, bring your requests to Him, intercede for others, and ask Him to search your heart and reveal areas needing change (Psalm 139:23-24).
Apps like Echo Prayer and Pray As You Go offer guided prayer sessions. Lifeway survey in 2021 found that 34% of Americans pray to connect with God daily.
Worship
Worship ushers us into God’s presence. Sing or listen to worship music, like popular songs from artists Elevation Worship and Hillsong United. Read inspirational passages like the psalms out loud as a prayer. Raise your hands, clap, dance, or kneel as you worship.
Feel free to be creative in how you express praise.
Serve Others
Serving others demonstrates God’s love in action. Look for ways to volunteer with ministries helping those in need, like homeless shelters and food banks. As Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Bless and encourage friends and family by helping with household jobs or sending inspirational texts. Showing the fruit of the spirit like love, joy, and peace reveals God’s life within you (Galatians 5:22-23).
When to Spend Time with God
Every morning
Starting your day with God is the best way to center your heart and mind around Him. Set aside time first thing in the morning to read a few Bible verses, meditate on His word, and talk to Him in prayer. This will fill you with peace, joy, and faith to take on the day ahead.
As the Psalmist says, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3). Talking and listening to God each morning will strengthen your relationship with Him.
Throughout your day
We can stay connected to God not just in focused morning quiet times, but all throughout our day. Try pausing for a few minutes here and there to silently pray or reflect on a meaningful verse. Take God with you into your work, errands, conversations, and activities.
As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.” This constant communication keeps our hearts attuned to Him amidst busy days. When challenges arise, take a minute to lift them up to the Lord. Let His presence fill your moments in between other tasks and appointments.
Practicing God’s presence throughout the day keeps us centered on what matters most.
In the evening
As your day winds down, spend some relaxing time again connecting spiritually. You can pray about your day, read encouraging verses, or journal your thoughts and prayers. King David wrote, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” (Psalm 63:6).
Consider reading a psalm or Proverb before bed, falling asleep meditating on God’s truth. This is also a great time to repent and cast any cares or burdens on Him before sleeping. As Lamentations 3:23 says, “They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Time with God bookends our day in His amazing grace.
Where to Meet with God
A quiet place at home
Finding a quiet space at home to regularly meet with God is vital for nurturing a close relationship with Him (Matthew 6:6). This could be a comfy chair by a window, a spot on the floor in your bedroom, or even out in the garden if you need some fresh air.
Set aside 15-30 minutes to sit, pray, read a passage of Scripture, journal your thoughts, and listen for His still, small voice. Eliminate distractions like phone notifications so you can be fully present. Some soothing worship music playing softly in the background can also help calm your spirit.
The key is carving out undistracted, intentional time to bask in God’s presence right where you are.
Outdoors in nature
Another wonderful setting to connect with God is out in His wondrous creation. Research shows that spending time outdoors has profound physical, mental and even spiritual benefits. Let His natural art gallery of trees, flowers, animals, and landscapes inspire you to worship the Divine Artist who spoke it all into being (Psalm 19:1-6).
Go for prayerful hikes, have a picnic Bible study under your favorite tree, or find a peaceful spot by a lake to sit and soak in His presence. Tuning your senses to the beauty around you can open your heart to hear from Him in fresh ways.
You may be amazed what new insights He reveals to you outdoors!
On your commute
You can also transform dreary commutes into precious God-time. Whether you drive, ride the train or bus, or even walk to work or school, use that time to pray, worship and dive into the Word or an audio message.
Apps like Bible.com and podcasts make it easy to continue learning God’s truth whenever you’re on the go. Even running errands around town can become opportunities for blessing others through prayer. The minutes add up, making a real impact on your spiritual growth.
Who says you can’t enjoy God’s presence while stuck in traffic? With intentionality, even the most mundane parts of life can be transformed into sacred spaces to fellowship with Him.
Overcoming Obstacles to Spending Time with God
Being too busy
In our fast-paced world, it can be difficult to find time to spend with God. Busyness often keeps us from slowing down and connecting with Him. Setting aside focused quiet time takes intention and may require reevaluating priorities.
Consider streamlining obligations, getting organized, reducing distractions, waking up earlier, or planning short pockets of time with God amidst the busyness. As Scripture says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Intimacy with God is vital for the heart and soul.
Lacking motivation
It’s common to lack motivation in pursuing spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and prayer. Start small – even just 5 minutes a day with God can make a difference. Vary the format to prevent stagnation. Read a Psalm or Proverb one day, free-form pray the next.
Join an accountability group for encouragement. Most importantly, focus on God’s incredible love for you. Let grace and desire, not guilt, compel you forward. God delights in any time spent with Him. As the Psalms declare, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10).
Becoming distracted
From notifications to random thoughts, distractions continually compete for our attention. Choose a designated place and time with limited disturbances to meet with God. Put away devices, turn off WiFi, and close your eyes to focus internally. Set a timer if needed.
Ask God to help concentrate your mind. The goal isn’t perfect uninterrupted communion but rather intentional space to connect amidst life’s disruptions. As James 4:8 (NLT) encourages, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”
Not making it a priority
It’s easy to prioritize urgent demands yet neglect spending quality time with God. Consider this – if Jesus physically appeared and invited you to sit and talk, dropping everything for that opportunity would be a no-brainer priority.
God may not be visible but He is always with us through the Holy Spirit, seeking relationship. Therefore, treat meeting with Him as the greatest priority – the central appointment on your calendar around which everything else revolves.
When we seek God first, Scripture promises that “all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Set a daily alarm reminding you of this sacred meeting.
Conclusion
If you want to grow deeper in your walk with God, there is no replacement for spending regular one-on-one time with Him. Set aside a portion of your day to read His Word, talk to Him in prayer, and listen for His voice.
As you make seeking God a consistent priority, you’ll be amazed at how He transforms you, guides you, and draws you close to Himself.
