When God Meets You in the Ordinary

Learning to Walk With Him in the Quiet Places of Your Life

One of the most surprising things about walking with God is how easily we overlook Him.

We expect Him in church services, worship moments, Scripture readings…

but not while folding laundry, waiting at a stoplight, or reheating yesterday’s coffee for the third time because the first two attempts didn’t stand a chance.

But Scripture tells a different story.

God rarely met people on mountaintops.

He met them in their ordinary lives:

• Moses was tending sheep when the burning bush appeared.

• Gideon was threshing wheat when the angel found him.

• David was delivering bread and cheese when he stumbled into the battle with Goliath.

• Mary was at home when Gabriel stepped into the room.

• The disciples were fishing, mending nets, collecting taxes — living normal, forgettable days — when Jesus said, “Follow Me.”

I’ve been realizing something about myself lately:

I keep expecting God to show up in the “spiritual moments”…

while He keeps meeting me in the moments I consider too ordinary to matter.

The holy pattern hidden in Scripture

This theme shows up again and again:

God doesn’t wait for people to be spiritually impressive.

He meets them as they are.

In Exodus 3, Moses isn’t praying.

He isn’t fasting.

He isn’t singing.

He’s wandering the desert with livestock — probably tired, probably dusty, probably bored.

And that is the moment God chooses.

The text says:

“When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him.”

— Exodus 3:4

Not when Moses was ready.

Not when Moses was strong.

But when Moses noticed.

Noticed a bush.

Noticed an interruption.

Noticed something unusual in an ordinary day.

And that’s when everything changed.

I’m learning that this is still how God works.

Not through pressure, but through presence.

Not through noise, but through nudges.

Not through magical moments… but through ordinary ones.

The ordinary moments God keeps using to speak to me

Recently during my rounds as a Hospice Chaplain, I was driving in-between-visits — tired, quiet, not feeling particularly holy — when I sensed the Lord whisper something I wasn’t expecting:

“I’m here, too.”

Not in the visit.

Not in the ministry moment.

Not in the prayer I prayed with the family.

But in the drive.

In the silence.

In the in-between space where I normally think nothing important is happening.

It stopped me.

Because God wasn’t calling me to do something…

He was reminding me I wasn’t walking alone.

The older I get, the more I realize:

The presence of God is not something to chase.

It’s something to notice.

And noticing is a kind of wisdom.

Where God may already be speaking to you

If you’re anything like me, you might be missing the places God is trying to meet you because they don’t feel “spiritual enough.”

But biblically, those are the exact places He chooses.

He may be whispering to you…

• through a quiet thought on your commute

• through a memory that keeps resurfacing

• through the face of someone who needs a kind word

• through the Scripture you read yesterday

• through the ache you feel when life moves too fast

• through a conversation you didn’t expect to matter

• through the heaviness you can’t quite explain

• through a longing you haven’t put into words yet

These are not interruptions.

They’re invitations.

Pay attention. God is near.

How to walk with God in the ordinary

Here’s a simple practice I’ve returned to again and again:

1. Pause once a day — anywhere, anytime.

Not to “have a quiet time.”

Just to acknowledge God’s nearness.

2. Whisper this prayer:

“Lord, help me recognize You today.”

Simple. Humble. Biblical. And powerful.

3. Notice the first thing that stirs your heart.

A thought.

A feeling.

A memory.

A Scripture.

A person.

A desire.

4. Treat that moment like holy ground.

Because it might be.

5. Don’t rush it.

Wisdom grows in unhurried soil.

A final encouragement for your week

If life feels painfully ordinary right now…

you are right where God loves to work.

Your kitchen can become holy ground.

Your commute can become a sanctuary.

Your morning routine can become a meeting place with God.

You don’t need a mountain.

You don’t need a miracle moment.

You don’t need a perfect quiet time.

You just need eyes to notice Him again.

And He will meet you there.

— Brian

Before you go…

Thank you for reading.

It means more than you know that you’d take a few minutes of your day to pause here — to breathe, to reflect, and to seek God in the deeper places.

If something in this week’s post met you, or helped you slow down enough to notice God in the ordinary moments, I’m grateful. That’s what this space is for. And many readers have told me these weekly reflections have become an anchor for them — a place to be steady again.

If you’re sensing the need for a deeper, steadier rhythm with God — one that rebuilds the inner life week by week — you may want to explore:

Return to Rest: A Six-Week Retreat for Your Soul™

A focused six-week path to regain strength, reset the pace of your life, and rebuild your inner world with God at the center.

No pressure.

No hype.

Just a steady next step if you’re ready for one.