28 Ways to Connect with God When Your Brain Won’t Quiet Down

Are you feeling disconnected from your faith? Struggling to find ways to connect with God in the craziness of life? Here are 28 creative ways to help you reconnect with God anytime. 

We’ve all been there: those “I Know This Is My Quiet Time But My Brain/To-Do List/Kid Feels Very LOUD” moments. There’s that desire… which on days like these, can start to feel like pressure… to have pacified souls like Mary though our lives are shouting, full of Martha demands.

So here are a few suggestions to help you be still and know. (Please comment with your own ideas, too!)

Simple Ways to Connect With God

These practical ways to connect with God can be used pretty much anywhere and anytime! Why not jot a few down to try over the next week or so? 

1. Take a walk, go on a run, or take a bike ride while you pray. Sometimes just being active in God’s presence can make all the difference. 
2. Thank God for each of the things and people ping-ponging through your brain. Practicing gratitude instead of letting our mind drift to our worries is a powerful way to take our thoughts captive and reconnect with God’s goodness. 
3. Use your hands to do something quiet and mindless: Crochet. Open pistachios. Brush the dog. Make sure this activity isn’t digital. Using your hands to do something creative or relaxing is great way to get centered and reconnect with God. 
4. Plug your headphones into some worship music, and simply worship. Filling your mind with music that glorifies God is one of the best ways to point your mind back to Him. 
5. Write down your prayers—as articulate or scattered as you want to. You might even want to grab a journal that you only fill with these prayers. 
6. Make one of your favorite snacks or a great cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy them in a quiet place (if your kids will let you!) Create positive, rewarding memories for your time with God that help you unwind!
7. Talk to God about each of the things that are distracting you. Turn your thoughts into prayers—into communion with God, no matter what’s rushing by on the outside.
8. Make music or artwork as an act of worship. Write a poem; sing; play an instrument; paint reflectively, perhaps meditating on a Bible story.
9. Take a bubble bath or a hot shower. Again, help yourself to associate God with rest and fulfillment rather than demands or inadequacy.
10. Keep your to-do list beside you, and if something comes up while you’re having your quiet time, write it down so that you can let it go. Or, set a timer, and until it rings, write down all the things you’re wanting to remember—even just to think about later. When the timer rings, turn your attention back to your time with God.
11. After the kids are in bed, head out to a coffee shop for your devotions just to make it special. Spending time in God’s Word in a new environment is one of my favorite things to do.
12. Go on a “prayer walk” around your neighborhood, praying for your neighbors, the kids and faculty in the local school, the churches around you, etc. Here is a great prayer specifically for teachers and caregivers that you might want to use.
13. Play a sermon podcast or worship music while you work out. Not only are you focusing on good health, but you’re also bringing glory to God as you take care of your body. As you shower afterward, take time to reflect and pray.
14. Stretch your body while you pray. Take a deep breath while you do this. You’ll feel physically more peaceful and relaxed.
15. Keep a spiritual book you’re interested in for days when you can’t focus. Make sure you interact with what you’re reading. Here is a list of some great women’s Bible study books that you might enjoy. (INSERT LINK)
16. Make sure to keep a pencil handy during your quiet time to keep your brain engaged and remember what you’re learning and hearing.
17. Have a kid signal: When you see this, you can’t bother me except for a real emergency. I’m having my time with God and it’s important. Whether it’s something hanging on your doorknob, a hat you wear, a locked door, or a timer you set, hold firm to your signal. Communicate this priority to your kids. (Susanna Wesley, mother of John Wesley, was known for putting her apron over her head for her prayer time.)
18. Soak your feet while you pray. It’s a unique way to take a relaxing pause from ordinary life. 
19. Try to avoid getting too prescriptive in your times with God. Just like the same kind of date doesn’t work for every couple, there are different ways—“love languages”, even—that each of us are wired to best commune with God. Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas may open your eyes to different ways that you best open up spiritually. Think about what qualifies in your mind as a “good quiet time,” and why you believe this. Prayerfully compare this with Scripture’s idea of being with God.
20. Pick one verse to meditate on as you close your eyes and breathe deeply. You might choose a verse that helps you to focus on God alone! Or, if you’re struggling with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, for example, focus on a verse that reminds you of God’s faithfulness and control. If you’re feeling like you have too much to do, consider Jesus’ words to Martha in Luke 10:41-42.
21. If you just can’t seem to stop your brain, make a commitment to yourself—even put it on your calendar or to-do list—to try again at a later time. Sometimes that happens in our conversations with people, too. And Jesus Himself occasionally had to postpone His time with God to meet the needs of God’s people.
22. Post Bible verses around your house, and change them frequently. Even writing them out can help with meditation. Here is a list of Bible passage ideas that are a great start.
23. Create a “drink deeply” time once a week, where you really set aside time to just enjoy God and not feel rushed by the next appointment on your list.
24. Proactively, make sure you’re getting plenty of rest at night. Everyday life can be tiring, so make sure you prioritize rest.
25. Check out A Praying Life by Paul Miller for ideas to grease the wheels of your prayer life.
26. Sit in a place that is calming and nourishing for you. Change your “usual” venue if need be. Bonus points if you’re able to sit out in God’s creation. 
27. If this is a normal occurrence, prayerfully consider your schedule. Are these the “good works [God] has prepared in advance for [you] to do” (Ephesians 2:10)—and only those? It’s so easy for us to gain the whole world at the expense of our souls.
28. Be honest with God. Talk with Him about your lack of focus, and allow Him to explore your heart for anxieties—to be Your Place of Peace. Remember His compassion and understanding for you! Ask Him to turn your eyes on Jesus.

Bible verses about connecting with God

As you start to figure out some new rythyms and ways for spending your quiet time with the Lord, here are some great Bible verses to meditate on. 

1. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
2. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
3. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” – Proverbs 8:17
4. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” – Psalm 91:1
5. “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” – Psalm 63:1
6. “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29
7. “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” – Psalm 145:18
8.  “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” – 1 Chronicles 16:11
9. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6
10. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”– Philippians 4:6-7

We live in a world full of distractions and things that will point us away from our Heavenly Father if we let them. But when we make the time to connect with the Holy Spirit on a regular basis, it can completely transform our minds and our hearts. It doesn’t have to look perfect or be at a specific time or place. The most important thing is that we start​ and make the time to connect with God in our daily life. 

How about you? Please share your practical ideas that help you connect with God—especially on days when life seems poised to shut out what’s/Who’s most important.