Finding God in Chaos and Clutter
Just like my life, the space I pray in daily isn’t picture-perfect.
I’ll admit it—I love serene images like this one of women praying in spotless homes, with clutter-free counters and plenty of time to soak in God’s presence. I even used this one elsewhere on my website. I put it there so people would feel calm when they look at it, and inspired to find a quiet space to journal or read the Bible. But many of us are in seasons of life where we look at the image and feel more of a longing for calm rather than actually feeling the calmness ourselves.
One day, I decided I was going to create my own cozy prayer space. I ordered beautiful, earth-tone Scripture cards, imagining them neatly placed next to my Bible, journal, and pen—the kind of pen that feels good in my hands, where the ink doesn’t get stuck but flows nicely onto the page.
Side note: I love college fairs and markets where people give out free pens so I can find the “perfect” one for journaling.
In my prayer space is also, of course, a steaming cup of tea.
My plan was simple: choose a passage for the day, set it in a wooden block, and sit quietly to reflect. Then leave it there as a visual anchor to re-center myself throughout the day.
Long story short? I have no idea where those cards are right now.
I even ordered a second set for my kids, hoping they’d pray with them before school. Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen either.
With four teenagers, constant sports travel, gear everywhere, cooking projects galore, and papers piling up faster than I can file them, there is rarely ever a decluttered and noise-free space in my house. My kitchen counters? Never clear. Table next to my bed? Piled up with lots of spiritual reading I’ll never get to. My living room? Always lived in. And the devices everyone is on…don’t get me started.
And yet… God still meets me here.
I do enjoy looking at those curated prayer spaces online—they bring a sense of calm, and I believe that’s their purpose. But here’s the truth: God doesn’t wait for us to declutter, and we don’t have to wait until all is quiet and still before He draws near.
He comes into the chaos. Into the noise. Into the messy, imperfect spaces of our lives.
This season of life has taught me something precious: prayer isn’t always about stillness in a quiet room. Sometimes it’s about being contemplative on the go. A fusion of Martha and Mary, if you will.
A while back, I felt inspired to create my own Scripture cards using passages from my Just Keep Growing program because I saw how deeply they impacted women. But here’s the reality: I’m someone who needs to find inspiration on my phone more often than in a perfectly staged prayer corner. Why? Because to get that quiet time, I’d have to wake up at 5 a.m.—and right now, that’s not where God is calling me. Or maybe He is, and I’m just hitting snooze. Plus, my phone is with me all day, and I need those reminders in the midst of errands, emails, and before getting on the treadmill at the gym (I say that like I go to the gym often). And the women I want to reach with Christ-centered wellness are in the same boat as me. Actually, it’s a car, often filled with other people’s boys and, dare I say, smelly sports gear (because we’re carpooling to practices). Those are the women who I find really need to connect with the Lord in the chaos.
How I’m using my phone to draw closer to God (that’s not a prayer app)…
Prayer isn’t confined to a chair and a cup of tea, or clean surfaces with candles. And God’s presence isn’t just in church or cozy prayer corners; it’s woven into the day-to-day “stuff” of our lives. To help me encounter God wherever I am, I started creating digital inspiration—wallpaper for my cell phone so I can be reminded to either connect with Him in my busyness or to take a moment to stop somewhere, anywhere, to encounter Him in silence, even if the space was cluttered, which is usually the case.
Your prayer space might be the bed you haven’t fixed yet, the kitchen counter while making dinner, a steering wheel while waiting at a red light, the grocery line, a laundry room, a desk full of papers you just can’t get to, or a quick glance at your phone before the next meeting. And maybe it’s even the screen of your cell phone, or a prayer app. All that is perfectly okay.
I’m here to help you find God in all the places and spaces where you need His presence and peace.
Where is God showing up for you today—in the quiet or in the chaos?
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