How to Grow Closer to God: 9 Practical Suggestions
I walked down the road for the sheer joy of stepping into the ivory firmament and breathing deeply today. Maybe I needed a fresh lesson on how to grow closer to God. I’d been feeling distant and disconnected from him, and I hoped that time outside might help me reconnect with him.
I was still within eyeshot of the house when something caught my eye.
Surrounded by sleepy beige earth, a single sprig of yellow-crowned goldenrod danced in the afternoon breeze. Bending low, I stopped to admire the tiny ray of hope in the middle of the desolate, almost-winter world.
There is always beauty woven into barrenness.
Somehow, that tiny, yellow flower felt like a gift from God, a reminder that even when I feel distant from him, he is close to me.
Perhaps you need this reminder, too.
How to Grow Closer to God
God is pursuing you today. You aren’t reading these words by accident.
Today, we’ll explore 10 Bible verses to help you learn how to grow closer to God. Then, we’ll discover practical steps to help you connect with him.
Let’s start with God’s Word.
Bible Verses on How to Grow Closer to God
1. John 14:6 ESV
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
We cannot have true connection with God apart from Jesus.
Jesus is the gateway to God. Our connection with God begins by affirming that Jesus is God’s Son and that he died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. When we receive him as the Savior and Leader of our lives, we are given free access to God.
2. Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Connection with God requires faith. Faith is believing what we cannot see with our eyes.
Ask God to help you grow in faith. He will answer this prayer.
3. Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
God wants to direct us. As we stay in step with his guidance, he fills us with joy.
I struggled to believe this truth for many years. I wanted to live life my way, according to my rules. When I finally surrendered every area of my life to God, I experienced joy and freedom like I’d never known. This can be true for you as well.
Obedience yields a closer relationship with God.
4. James 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Sometimes, God seems distant because we have not been seeking him.
Do you regularly carve out time to talk to God and rest in his presence? If not, consider when you might find even a few minutes to do so. When you draw near to God, he will draw near to you.
More Bible Verses on How to Grow Closer to God
5. Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
David wrote this Psalm as his heart cried out for God. Pursuing God’s presence was his “main thing.”
I have a gentle question for you today: What’s your main thing?
6. Psalm 139:7
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
Psalm 139 is a beautiful depiction of God’s intimate knowledge of each of his children. He aims to comfort us as we remember that we cannot flee from his presence. He is always with us to guide, defend, protect, and fight for us.
7. Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he spoke these words. He called his followers to obey him by sharing his love with the world. He also reminded us that he will be with us always.
8. Psalm 73:28
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
Where do you turn for refuge and comfort at the end of a long day?
God is with you always, and he is inviting you to turn to him.
9. Psalm 140:13
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.
When we live in obedience, God’s presence blesses us. We often become more aware of his presence by tearing down the walls of disobedience. Is God calling you to obey him in any area today?
10. 1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
God is not just with us, he is in us! For those who follow Jesus, the Spirit of the Living God dwells within us. For this reason, we can never outrun him or hide from him. He wants to guide us, help us, support us, and comfort us.
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Let’s talk about how to grow closer to God by looking at some practical steps we can take.
How to Grow Closer to God: 9 Practical Steps
1. Talk to God as you would talk to a close friend.
God knows you even better than you know yourself. He also wants you to tell him everything that’s on your heart and mind in the same way you would talk to your closest friend.
If you want to know how to grow closer to God, begin by pouring your heart out to him. Maybe you’ve been angry with him. Go ahead and tell him. He can take it. He already knows, and he wants to begin healing your heart.
You might feel like God has abandoned you. Tell him how you feel. Meanwhile, remind yourself that God never abandons his children. This is an unconditional promise found throughout Scripture (Hebrews 13:5; Deut. 31:6; Exodus 14:14).
Begin by telling God everything you are feeling and leave some quiet space to sit with him and focus on one of the verses above. Or simply sit with these words, “God loves me more than I can imagine, and he will never abandon me.”
2. Grow closer to God by reading his words to you.
For years, I went to a quiet field behind my house and asked God to prove himself to me by providing some physical sign. I asked for everything from rainbows to shooting stars.
All the while, a gentle whisper nudged my soul. I kept thinking of the leather-bound Bible in my dresser drawer.
Finally, one sunny afternoon, I carried the old Bible to my quiet field. I began copying verses into a spiral-bound notebook. I let the words sink into the deepest part of me. One day at a time, I encountered the heart of God. I came to know him in a new and personal way.
Regardless of whether you’ve never opened a Bible or whether you’ve been reading your Bible for years, turn to God’s written Word to find him. These words are tangible, and they are written specifically for you.
More than anywhere else, I most often encounter God in his written Word. For insight on how to connect with God in a way that breathes life into your soul, check out this post.
If you’re not sure where to start, the Psalms are a good starting point.
3. If you want to know how to grow closer to God, count his gifts.
Something about that tiny goldenrod plant on a grey day felt like an encounter with God. When we pause to notice God’s good gifts around us, we open our hearts to experience him.
God is always at work around us, and every good gift in your life comes from the hand of God.
Do you really want to learn how to grow closer to God?
Start counting his gifts.
Make a list, snap a photo, or just start looking. The shift into a posture of gratitude prepares your heart for a life-changing encounter with the Living God. Gratitude aligns our hearts with the Father’s heart. Give thanks more often, and you will soon realize that God is all around you.
Gratitude aligns our hearts with the Father's heart. Give thanks more often, and you will soon realize that God is all around you. #SeekingGod #Gratitude Share on XHe makes his presence known through the silver song of a summer moon, rain splashing white against windowpanes, and smiles from strangers. God makes his goodness known through warm meals and cool glasses of water. He waits for you to encounter his goodness, and he is pleased when you thank him for his gifts.
I once asked a friend how to know if something is from God. She said, “If it’s good, it’s from God.” James 1:17 tells us every good and perfect gift in our lives comes from the Father. Find goodness, and you have encountered the work of his hand.
4. Reach out to someone who knows him well.
My relationship with God deepens when I spend time with people who know him intimately.
These people ask probing questions and challenge my faith. Their faith is contagious. As I spend time with people who have encountered God in deep ways, God invites me into deeper layers of faith.
Does anyone in your life love the Lord? Make plans to get together and talk about your journey with him. Spending time with people who know and love God can help us connect with him when we feel distant.
This might also include finding a local church where you can worship him with others. Something happens in our hearts when we worship God in the presence of other people.
5. Commit to spending several minutes each day resting in God’s presence.
A few years ago, I read a book that challenged me to spend several minutes each morning sitting with God and doing nothing other than resting in the awareness that he enjoys me.
Over time, this practice has become deeply grounding for me.
I don’t force myself to perform in any way or do anything during this time. I rest with God—and nothing else. It doesn’t feel very productive, but not being productive is the whole point.
Most of us face the temptation to find our identities through what we can produce and achieve. Time spent in stillness with God pulls us out of the frenetic pace of our lives and creates space for him to remind us of the anchor of our identities: his unconditional love for us.
6. Connect with God through worship.
Throughout the past months, God has used worship to heal me, uphold me, and keep my eyes on him in challenging moments. I’ve been reminded that entering into his presence through worship can change the trajectory of an entire day.
Worship lifts our eyes off of our temporal struggles and helps us focus on God’s power, goodness, faithfulness, and provision. Most of us know how it feels to be “stuck inside our heads,” ruminating over concerns, or letting feelings of defeat debilitate us.
At times, breaking free from these mental blocks feels impossible. When this happens, we desperately need to connect with God by fighting the battle in the spiritual realm—above human reasoning.
Worship is warfare. It pulls us above worldly concerns and fixes our eyes on the greatness of our God. This is where breakthrough happens.
If this resonates with you today, here’s a playlist to get you started.
7. Connect with God by authentically connecting with other people.
Not long ago, a friend suggested a book called How People Grow by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend (Thank you, friend!). A foundational premise of this book is that we heal and grow through relationships with others.
Seeking God individually is important, but living openly and sharing our hearts with others is essential for growth.
I tend to lean toward independence and introversion, which makes the following reminder from this book especially important for me to remember:
“Many people, however, find themselves cut off from the church and the healing and protective functions it provides. In their isolation—or at least the isolated growth plan they are using—they are easy prey for the gates of hell to overpower them. This is analogous to Jesus’ story about the shepherd and his sheep (Luke 15:3-7). Wolves do not attack an entire herd. They attack the one lamb that has wandered off the path. This is the one who is in danger. As Jesus said, he would leave the ninety-nine to fetch and return the wandering one.”
Throughout the past months, God has healed some deep wounds in my heart, and this has happened exclusively because of the love and care of other people. As I reflect on this, I’m amazed that God has used the care of others to heal, in a very short period of time, wounds that have existed in the darkness of obscurity for decades. There is power in finding this kind of support. So much power.
8. Begin each day by immediately looking toward God.
Looking toward God before climbing from bed every morning also helps me stay connected with him throughout the day. For several years, I repeated Psalm 118:24 every morning immediately after waking up: “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
I don’t always repeat this verse, but I try to begin my days by greeting God, thanking him for his goodness, or taking a moment to surrender the upcoming day to him.
(Read here for more thoughts on speaking God’s Word first thing every morning.)
9. Connect with God by memorizing Scripture.
As I’ve shared in the past, our family memorizes one verse together every week (or two, or three, or four weeks!). We write it on a piece of paper and hang it on the fridge. Every morning, we practice reading and speaking the verse together. This practice renews our minds and shapes our hearts.
Often, I overhear the kids speaking our verses when they face challenging or upsetting circumstances.
God’s Word renews our minds.
Hiding it in my heart helps me keep my thoughts focused on him, provides comfort in difficult moments, and serves as an offensive weapon when the enemy attacks my mind.
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If these practical ideas on how to grow closer to God encouraged you, I invite you to explore my library of devotionals and free devotional eBooks. Let these books help you connect with God like never before.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Learn How to Grow Closer to God
If this post on how to grow closer to God encouraged you, I have a gift for you. Mornings With Jesus is not your average daily devotional—it is so much more! You’ll find 31 daily devotions with reflection questions. This devotional is unique because it also offers a special section at the end of each post called “Your Invitation to Encounter God and Begin Well.” These exercises will help you actually encounter the Living God during your quiet time and are a pathway to life-changing spiritual growth. Get yours free for a limited time with promo code JESUS right here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
