I used to think I had to go away to find God.
Go to the mountain. Go on a retreat. Check into a quiet room. Fast from all noise.
I always looked forward to those times every year. A few days before my birthday, I would withdraw from everything. Phone off, no work, just me and God. I would sit with my journal and whisper, “Lord, what are You saying about the new year? About the things You have placed in my hands?”
And every single time, He would show up.
Sometimes it was a word. Other times, a scripture that unraveled into a whole blueprint. Sometimes, it was not instruction at all, just His presence. Worship. Stillness.
Those moments taught me how to wait, how to listen, and how to be quiet before Him.
But then one day, it occurred to me that I had become used to finding God only in those mountaintop moments, in the silence, away from the noise.
I began to wonder, “What if I could meet Him in the ordinary too? What if He wanted to talk to me not just on retreat, but also in the rush between meetings, in the kitchen, or in Lagos traffic?”
So, I started asking Him to help me notice Him in my everyday life.
And He did.
He began to meet me in the smallest spaces: in my tea breaks, in car rides, in the few He began to meet me in the smallest spaces: in my tea breaks, in car rides, in the few minutes before my next meeting.
Sometimes it was a nudge, “Don’t eat that, eat this.”
Other times, it was a sudden thought to pray for someone, or a gentle instruction to pause before responding. It was subtle, but I knew it was Him.
You see, the presence of God isn’t something you leave behind when you step out of a prayer room. It’s not something you pack up at the end of a retreat. It’s a person, THE HOLY SPIRIT, who lives inside you. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (Romans 8:11), and that means you carry His presence into every space you enter — meetings, flights, even the bathroom.
Yes I know the thought of God in the toilet with you may sound funny, but it is true. I’ve had some of my most honest moments with God sitting right there on the toilet seat or standing at the sink. He’s not intimidated by where you are. He’s not waiting for you to be dressed in white linen or holding a microphone. He’s simply waiting for you to acknowledge Him.
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way] – Proverbs 3:6 [AMP]
His ways are not our ways and He cannot be confined to a certain modus operandi. Because the God who met Moses in the fire is the same God who met Elijah in a whisper.
So, I’ve stopped confining God to the calendar of retreats.
Don’t get me wrong: I still love those intentional getaways; they reset me. But more and more, I’ve discovered that communion isn’t reserved for mountaintops. It’s woven into the fabric of day-to-day living.
Sometimes, I’m in traffic, praying under my breath, and the whole car feels like a revival ground. Other times, it’s just a sense of calm after I obey a nudge to pray for someone. And though I may never see it, I know that moment of obedience has shifted something.
And the beauty of it all? People sense the presence and are blessed by it. At first, I didn’t think too seriously about it. But then I realized that as those moments became more frequent, people noticed a difference. I could step out of my car or walk into a room, and people would say, “Ma, you’re glowing,” or “Your smile just lifted me.”
I used to laugh it off until it dawned on me: that glow wasn’t me. It was His presence, alive in me, radiating even in the mundane.
It’s the same glory Moses carried when his face shone after meeting with God — except now, we don’t need to climb a mountain to glow. The light is within us.
The truth is, God’s presence is portable. His voice travels with you. His peace has the power to fill your car just as much as it can fill a sanctuary. He walks with you into boardrooms, classrooms, marketplaces, and even into the noise of your city’s streets.
Psalm 139 says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.” (vv. 7–8)
Everywhere becomes holy ground when you realize you’re not walking alone.
So if you’ve ever thought, “I don’t think I hear God”, maybe it’s not that He isn’t speaking. Maybe you just haven’t learned to notice Him yet.
Or maybe you are thinking, “I cannot seem to find the time to hear God. Everything is so crazy.”
I understand that feeling. Life gets busy. The noise can be constant. But the good news is that God is not limited by your schedule. He is not waiting for silence before He speaks. Sometimes, He is speaking through the very noise you are trying to escape.
He is the whisper in the rush, the peace in your deadlines, the calm in your commute.
He does not need perfect conditions to commune with you; He just needs your attention.
Start with desire. Ask Him, “Lord, help me notice You in the small spaces.” And He will. Because God delights in being known.
He’ll begin to highlight tiny pockets of stillness in your day: a quiet car ride, a pause between tasks, a thought that interrupts your scrolling. He’ll whisper through a name that comes to mind or a nudge that redirects you. And as you obey, you’ll start to recognize His tone.
That’s how intimacy grows.
Not always through the loud encounters, but through a thousand quiet yeses.
Because sometimes, it’s not the thunder, wind, or the earthquake. Or the fire. Sometimes, it’s the whisper.
And over time, you’ll realize that the presence you once went searching for on the mountain has been with you all along — in the kitchen, in traffic, on flights, even in your bathroom.
So today I implore you: Invite God into your everyday..
Faith isn’t always about escaping life to touch God.
Sometimes it’s about finding Him right in the middle of it.
From a sister daily learning His presence,
Nkiruka.