If you haven’t noticed, the world is overwhelming.

Between our families, work, church, and social lives (if we dare have one), the world has us running here, there, and everywhere, and if you’re like I was a couple years ago, it’s got you running ragged.

Last year, with my word of the year being stillness, I chose to take a step back from busyness and focus more on God. This became my favorite part of 2025, and this week, I’ll be sharing the ways I’ve managed to stay connected to God in spite of the busy world we live in.

When You Wake Up, Go to God First

The biggest change I implemented last year that helped me grow closer to God was swapping out the time I used to spend scrolling social media when I first woke up in the morning to instead do a devotional on the Bible app. This way, I’m allowing God to get in my head before the world does.

This wasn’t easy to implement, but around the same time I started doing this, I decided to take a step back from social media and made the permanent decision to delete the Facebook app off my phone. Without these distractions, it made it easier for me to remember to read the devotional first thing in the morning.

Make Time to Dive into His Word

We all like to say we’re busy and don’t have a spare moment to pick up our Bibles… but are we really that busy? If we’ve got time to scroll on social media, binge shows on Netflix, or sit on the couch and stare into space after an aggravating day at work, we’ve got time to open our Bibles and read a chapter.

It’s not a matter of not having time. It’s a matter of choosing to make time.

Last year, my husband and I went through The Bible Recap together, reading the Bible chapters it referenced along with it each day. But our Bible studies don’t have to be this rigid all the time. This year, we’re going through a 365-day devotional together and reading the Bible individually. I started off the year by reading one chapter of Proverbs every day throughout January. Now I’ve moved on to one chapter of Ecclesiastes each day and plan on reading other books in the Bible the same way. This allows me to focus more on what each chapter says and I’m loving the change of pace so far.

I’ve also started reading the Bible after I get out of bed in the morning (after reading the devotional) so I can have more quiet time with the Lord. While I’ll admit I often still check my phone between the time I complete the devotional and the time I summon the strength to get out of bed, this routine has helped me want to get into the Word sooner, as I’m noticing my mindset is a lot better when I pick up the Bible first.

Pray about Everything

While I’m not the best at remembering to pray verbally except for right before bed, over the past couple years, I’ve written down my prayers in journals and have found this is my favorite way to pour out my heart to God.

I know you’ve probably heard this before, but prayers don’t have to be as eloquent as a Pulitzer Prize winning novel or as long as the ending credits of a Marvel film. Just let God know what’s on your heart. Repent and ask for forgiveness when you’ve messed up. Praise Him for what He’s done and Who He is.

It’s really that simple, and yet we often think it’s so hard to implement into our busy schedules.

One way that’s helped me pray more is to remind myself that, if something bad happens or if I mess up and sin against God, to automatically turn to Him and ask Him for help and/or forgiveness. The same goes for when something good happens or I realize He’s answered a previous prayer; I need to let Him know that I know it only happened because of Him! This will take some time to become a habit, but the more you do it, it’ll become second nature.

And don’t just ask God for help with the big things! He wants us to open our whole lives up to Him, so talk to Him about the little things, too. Ask Him to help you figure out how to fix that issue at your job that keeps getting swept under the rug. Ask Him for comfort and peace when you’re having one of those super emotional/irritable days and you don’t know what is wrong, but you know something isn’t right. Whatever is on your mind, share it with Him.

Prioritize Church

Over the past several years, many Christians have stopped going to physical churches and have started watching online instead. Yes, watching online from the comfort of our homes is convenient, and it’s a fantastic resource for the elderly, sick, or disabled who are unable to make it to the church. Nevertheless, if we’re physically able to get to the church, we should make it a priority to go.

This isn’t just Allyson’s opinion; this is an instruction from God:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

-Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV

As someone who is shy, socially anxious, and an introvert, you’d think I’d be on team Watch Online, but I’m not. While, yes, I was raised in church and have been going to church all 30+ years of my life, I do so now by choice. No one is forcing me to go to services in person. And, in all honesty, there are times I don’t want to go and would rather watch the service online, but when I go, God reveals to me why I need to go.

You don’t get to experience that needed fellowship with other believers when watching online. No one places their hand on your shoulder and prays for you as you’re watching from your couch. You don’t meet others who are walking through similar struggles who become those Christian friends you’ve prayed for years to meet. I’m not saying you can’t build relationships in an online setting, but I rarely see interactions like this between viewers in the comments section of a church service’s live broadcast.

The Bible also reminds us:

 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

-Matthew 18:20, ESV

Yes, it’s possible to feel the presence of God by ourselves when watching in front of a screen, but if you’ve never felt His presence, His peace that surpasses all understanding, the joy of the Lord when you’re worshiping amongst other believers, I dare you to go to your local, Bible-believing church this Sunday and experience that for yourself. When we isolate ourselves, God often feels far away too, but He promises that when we’re gathered in His name, that He will be among us.

Work schedules can often keep us from church. I realize that’s something many people can’t help. However, my fellow Christians, if we’re choosing to do other things like go to sports games, wash our cars, or go shopping rather than spend time with God in His house… are we really prioritizing Him?

I’m not here to cast judgment, but to tell you the truth: if we truly want to connect with God and have a relationship with Him, He can’t be on our back burner. We can’t say He’s Number One in our lives if, as the head of the household, we’re allowing our kids’ soccer schedules to decide whether or not we’re going to church this week. We can’t say our relationship with God comes first if we decide to not go to church because our friends made brunch plans or it’s too much of a hassle to get the kids dressed and there on time.

Think about it like this: when it comes to our jobs, do we just choose not to show up for work if our friend calls us up and asks us to go to the movies with them? If we’ve agreed to work from eight until five, per the hours defined in our work contract, do we just not show up because it’s too much of a hassle to get the kids up in time to drop them off at daycare or school?

No? Okay, then. God’s more important than our jobs, and He clearly tells us in His Word that we need to worship together in His house. God wants us there to hear edifying messages that we can apply to our lives. He wants us there to build relationships and fellowship with other believers. God wants us to worship Him corporately. And if we actively choose not to spend an hour each week with Him there, then it’s no wonder He seems far away.

Again, I’m not aiming to cast judgment, but to drive home this point: if we want to connect with God, we first need to be willing to make time for Him and do what He asks of us. Relationships with other humans are not built on silence and avoidance, and we can’t expect our relationship with God to grow if that’s how we’re approaching Him.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

I’m not a perfect Christian (there’s no such thing!) and don’t have everything figured out, but I hope and pray that these methods will help you stay connected to God despite the chaos of the world we live in.

How do you stay connected to God? Let me know in the comments!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀