We Need More Space
In our fast-paced world, every moment is filled—meetings, tasks, conversations, phone calls. Our culture thrives on constant activity, and, unfortunately, this busyness has leaked into our relationship with God. In many ways, the modern church mirrors the rhythm of the world around us: services are timed to the minute. We arrive, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, and leave without pausing to reflect. We hear truths, but often miss one of the most crucial aspects of our faith: space to listen.
The structure of many church services today leaves little room for silence or asking the deeper questions of our hearts. We’re quick to talk to God, to read His Word, and then move on, but how often do we allow time to simply be with Him? To sit quietly in His presence and let Him speak? This lack of space is affecting us more than we may realize.
When we rush through services and prayers, many of us leave feeling spiritually disconnected. Our minds may be filled with knowledge, but our hearts are still hungry for connection. We’ve been told truths about God, but we haven’t had the space to encounter Him. We know about God, but we struggle to truly know Him.
Without the space to breathe, reflect, and listen, our relationship with God becomes shallow. It’s easy to go through the motions—check the boxes of church, prayer, and Bible reading—but miss the richness of truly communing with our Creator.
But what if we began to add space to our services, devotion times, and daily walks with God? What if we made room to pause and let Him speak, even for just a moment? Here's the thing: space doesn’t need to be an hour-long session. It can be a minute, a few seconds, or even a brief pause. What space really means is an invitation for God to move. He can do more in a moment than we could ever imagine.
One of the most profound moments in my spiritual life came after a 30-second period of silence following a worship song. Just 30 seconds—but in that space, God moved in a way that shifted my life. These short moments of silence, traditionally integrated into church services for thousands of years, create an opening for God. A simple prompt like, “Take a moment to confess your sins to God,” can become a powerful time of reflection and connection, allowing us to invite Him into our thoughts and give Him space to respond.
There is also incredible value in longer periods of silence. I’ll never forget one of the first times I felt God asking me to spend an hour in prayer. At first, I had no idea how to do it. I spent the first 10-15 minutes listing every possible thing I could pray about. Finally, I was done—I had nothing left to say. But in the silence that followed, that’s when God began to speak.
So, what could it look like to integrate more space in our ministries and personal lives?
When praying for someone—Even when praying outloud for someone, pause and ask God to bring things to mind to pray for them. Don’t be afraid of the silence!
During a service—Give moments for people to pause and reflect on a prompt. Leave a minute of silence during or after worship for people to reflect and pray.
In youth group—Think through how to not only create moments during the meeting time for people to pause and reflect, but also consider setting up prayer stations for students to walk around and pray through for 30 minutes or so.
In your own quiet times- Invite God to bring things to mind instead of only going through your own agenda.
With your family- When you pray together, teach your children how to ask God questions and give them space to listen to what comes to mind. Then, have them share what they feel like they heard so you can help guide and teach them.
In your church or ministry- Think through how to create more additional times and places for people to build space into their lives. This could be a silent prayer retreat, a prayer night with prayer stations set up, a prayer room where people can go, prayer stations set up in a hallway or a monthly prayer and worship night.
Imagine what would happen if our services and ministries were filled with these moments of encounter. Imagine what could happen in our hearts if we truly gave God the space to breathe into our lives. As we make room for Him, we’ll see His Spirit move in ways we can’t ask for or even imagine—and our relationship with Him will grow stronger and more intimate than ever before.
So, let’s create space. For silence, for reflection, for listening. Because in that space, God is waiting to meet us.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10
