Reading the Bible When You’re Busy

How one college student used the Watchword app to start spending time with God

I’m in college. That means I’m busy… and stressed. Reading, homework, presentations, exams, and the demands of learning to live life at age 19 all make me feel so busy that I don’t always remember my God time.

Last year I was really not as in touch with Christ as I needed to be. All of the stresses and anxieties had been building up and my life became full of worry. I knew I needed to be spending time with God but the busyness and worry made time with God seem even less possible. I needed to remember that God was in control but I was so distracted that I felt really alone and negative.

Part of my struggle to spend time in God’s word was simple forgetfulness and the fact that I had not yet learned to make it an important part of my daily routine. Not knowing when and what to read just made getting into the habit all the more daunting.

It was around this time that I began a mentoring relationship with a godly older man. We were talking about ways that I could better grow in my relationship with Christ. He mentioned a new devotional app that Christian Service Brigade was now providing to help people develop the vital discipline of spending time in God’s Word. So I took his suggestion and downloaded the Watchword app

The first thing I really liked was the fact that it asked me some questions about my life that helped the app provide content relevant to where I am specifically at in life and where I’m struggling. Joel was right. I saw an immediate change in my life.

This school year I am much more involved in The Word, I am spending a lot more time in prayer, and my relationship with God has grown a ton. I feel so much more in touch with God and that has definitely helped take away the stress and anxiety in which I had been struggling so deeply.

As I’ve spent more time with God his presence in my life has become a more powerful reality. I simply remember him more. Even if I go into a test a little uneasy I’ve learned that I can still pray and know “God, this is all in your hands.” Remembering God in this way, knowing that I don’t have to be so worked up, and that he is going to carry me through the situation no matter what, eases my stress.

I hate to admit it, but with the many things to worry about God isn’t always the first thing on my mind even though He should be. Going through the day I might not think to open my Bible or something else might push God out of the way, but the Watchword app has been a huge help by sending me reminders to keep God top of mind. If I’m super busy and ignore the notifications for a few days, the bar chart is a really powerful way to keep me honest about just how selfish I’ve been with my time and reminds me that I need to get back to a place where God, not Tom, is the center.

I’ve also found that the content is delivered in a way that helps make what I’m reading really relevant. It’s short enough that I feel like I can take the time to put God as the focus and allow the crazy world to be set aside. The questions the app asks provoke thought. Rather than just reading and not knowing how to understand or apply it to my life, I’m learning how to appreciate and put what I’m reading into practice.

The Watchword App has helped me find a routine with God at the center, but this routine has also helped me in those spontaneous moments when I need to turn to God as well. More often now I will stop and pray when I am getting stressed. I’m also seeing how when I’m reading something that the app has served up that doesn’t seem to pertain at the moment, a day or two later a situation will arise and suddenly it is really applicable. God showed me that passage or issue to prepare me for what was coming. God really is in control!