Why Putting God First in 2026 Feels Harder Than Ever

As 2026 approaches, everything feels louder and more demanding of attention. AI is reshaping workplaces at speed, layoffs feel increasingly normal, and global news cycles are heavy with stories of violence, instability, and persecution. Headlines about Bondi Beach (Australia news reports, 2025) and the persecution of Christians in Nigeria (international human rights reports) sit alongside constant economic and technological uncertainty. On a macro level, the world feels unsettled. On a personal level, it becomes harder to know where to rest my heart and mind.

Naturally, these pressures lead me to bigger spiritual questions. What does Revelation say about the times we are living in (Revelation 6–19)? Are we approaching the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21)? Are we living in what some interpret as the seven year period of peace (Daniel 9:27)? Should believers move out from the cities and prepare for what is coming (Luke 21:20–21)?

These questions are not rooted in curiosity alone. They rise from a desire to be faithful, to be ready, and to not miss what God may be doing in this season.

The Temptation to Find Security in Preparation and Productivity

When I pay attention to my first instinct, it is usually very practical and very human. Do as much as I can. Earn as much as possible. Prepare. Be ready. Be a prepper.

There is comfort in productivity. There is security in feeling prepared. Yet when I sit with Scripture, I am reminded that this is not the primary posture God calls His people to adopt. The Bible encourages believers to live quietly, to mind their own business, and to work faithfully with what is in front of them (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Readiness in Scripture is less about accumulation and more about attentiveness, like the wise virgins who kept oil in their lamps (Matthew 25:1–13).

This reframes preparation for me. It is not about doing everything I think I should do. It is about being ready to receive what God wants me to do.

Living Between Urgency and Faithfulness in Everyday Life

The way I am learning to hold this tension can be summarised simply after speaking to my uncle, Pastor Toh. He taught me that to try to live as if Jesus could return tonight (Matthew 24:44). At the same time, he mentioned to live as if He might not return in my lifetime (Matthew 24:36).

Living with urgency keeps my heart soft and spiritually awake (Mark 13:33). Living with long term faithfulness keeps me grounded in daily obedience, doing what my hands find to do without fear or haste (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Rather than creating anxiety, this tension steadies me.

Faith and Work: Serving God Through Ordinary Responsibilities

Putting God first in 2026 looks far quieter than I once imagined. It looks like daily worship (Psalm 95:6). It looks like opening Scripture regularly, even when I feel distracted or tired (Psalm 119:105). It looks like serving others without needing recognition (Galatians 5:13).

It also looks like working diligently. If I am a student, I aim to study faithfully. If I am working, I want to work with integrity and excellence, doing everything as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Faithfulness in ordinary work is part of spiritual obedience, not separate from it.

Lessons From Mary and Martha About Presence and Productivity

One story that continues to correct and reorient me is the account of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38–42).

Martha was doing good and necessary things. She was serving Jesus. Yet Jesus gently pointed out that Mary had chosen the better portion by sitting at His feet and listening. This story exposes a pattern I fall into repeatedly. I often believe that doing more for God means I am closer to God.

Work becomes my security. Accomplishment becomes my reassurance. I stay busy, productive, and useful, but underneath, anxiety quietly grows. Like Martha, I can become worried and distracted by many things, even good things, while drifting from presence.

The issue is not work itself. The issue is when work replaces intimacy.

A Question That Reveals Whether My Life Is Spiritually Aligned

When I feel restless, driven, or overwhelmed, I have learned to ask myself a simple but revealing question.

If I were truly closer to God right now, would this be how I feel and act?

I follow it with another question.

Does this reflect the character and fruit of the Spirit, such as love, peace, patience, and self control (Galatians 5:22–23)?

If my activity is producing anxiety instead of peace, striving instead of trust, then something is misaligned, no matter how spiritual the work appears.

Mary’s posture reminds me that closeness to God shapes how we serve. Serving does not create closeness.

Discerning My Role When Resources and Capacity Are Limited

I often wrestle with whether I should prepare more materially for the future. Yet the reality is that my finances are not opening in that direction. Rather than forcing it, I am learning to pause and ask different questions.

Is there a project I can support instead of starting my own (Romans 12:4–5)?

Is there someone who has resources but lacks time or energy (Acts 9:36–39)?

Is my role meant to be quieter and less visible (1 Corinthians 12:22–24)?

Instead of planning ten years ahead, I ask God what I can do today (Matthew 6:34).

A Slower and Truer Way Forward

Putting God first in 2026 is not about predicting timelines or reacting to headlines. It is about staying close to God in the middle of uncertainty, doing the work placed in front of me, and trusting that obedience today matters more than perfect preparation for tomorrow (Proverbs 3:5–6).

When everything is fighting for attention, choosing God first feels simple, but not easy.

And perhaps this quiet, daily choosing is exactly how faith is meant to be lived.

References

The Holy Bible. (New International Version). (2011). Scriptural references include Revelation 6–19; Matthew 24:21, 24:36, 24:44, and 25:1–13; Luke 10:38–42 and 21:20–21; Mark 13:33; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalms 95:6 and 119:105; Galatians 5:13 and 5:22–23; Colossians 3:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:11; Romans 12:4–5; Acts 9:36–39; 1 Corinthians 12:22–24; Proverbs 3:5–6; Daniel 6 and 9:27.

Online Bible Resources. Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Bible translations and study tools. https://www.biblegateway.com/

Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Biblical texts and original language resources. https://www.blueletterbible.org/

News and Advocacy. Open Doors International. (n.d.). World Watch List: Nigeria. https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/nigeria/

Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2025). Public safety and violence related news reports. https://www.abc.net.au/news/