3 Uplifting Prayers for a Closer Relationship with God [Use Any Time]

Inside: Get 3 written-for-you prayers for a closer relationship with God that you can use no matter the season you’re in. Don’t forget to download the free guide to help you hear when God answers your prayers, so you can stop missing it.

“I wish I loved the Lord with all my heart, soul, and strength. But I don’t know how.”

I wrote those words years ago in my secret journal. I wanted to be closer to God, and I’d done everything I could think of to make it so. Yet, I felt as far away from Him as the East is from the West.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I kept praying for a closer relationship with God, confused and hurt when none of them seemed to work.

Why wasn’t God drawing closer to me, even though I’d begged Him on sore knees to do just that? How could I leap across the yawning chasm between us? And what was wrong with me that other Christians I knew glowed from the light of His presence in their lives while I felt like a heap of burnt-out ashes?

No matter how fervent they were, my prayers for a closer relationship with God did not seem to be working…at all.

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Why Aren’t My Prayers to Be Closer to God Working?

As it turned out, God was always as close to me as I let Him be. And the abyss between us was of my own making.

You see, I was wallowing in sin, living a life that was the opposite of what God wanted for me. Deep down, I knew it. But on the surface, my lifestyle was world-approved. And I was afraid of looking like a fool by chucking it in to live according to God’s outdated standards and silly-looking plans for me.

So I kept hurling desperate prayers for a closer relationship with God up at Him. All while ignoring the countless signs He was answering my prayers which practically smacked me in the face everywhere I turned.

And now you’re in the same boat.

Whatever your life circumstances, you crave a more intimate relationship with God. And maybe, like I was, you’re confused about why God seems silent in your life when His volume is on max for your church friends.

You’re dying to be closer to Him. But your faith is wavering, almost to the point of suspecting God doesn’t love you. You may even be feeling abandoned by God.

At the very least, you’re starting to wonder if something is wrong with your prayers for a closer relationship with Him. Like, maybe you’re doing it all wrong? Or maybe you’re not special to God the way you thought you were.

First of all, you’re not doing it wrong. And you’re just as special to God as you knew you were on the day you first accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.

All you need now is a new perspective to help you see what’s going on right under your nose.

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How Do I Have a Closer Relationship with God?

If you want to draw closer to God, most gurus will tell you to read your Bible more, go on prayer walks, talk to Him nonstop throughout the day, or start a gratitude journal.

These are all great suggestions. However, they don’t address the real, underlying issue of why you’re trying and failing to feel like you and God are besties.

In my experience, when you’re struggling to feel closer to God, the problem is usually you. This is true one hundred percent of the time since we know two things from God’s unfailing word.

First:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

And also:

I am the Lord, and I do not change.
Malachi 3:6a (NLT)

Our unchanging God has promised to never leave you or forsake you. This means He’s always nearby, waiting for you to draw closer to Him.

So what’s standing in your way? Probably some unacknowledged sin in your life that you need to address.

Here’s the thing. Back when my prayers to be closer to God seemed to be an exercise in futility, I was living with a man to whom I wasn’t married. A man who didn’t believe in God, no less. And I was lying to myself, acting like it was no big deal.

But I’d grown up in church and knew the path I’d chosen was wrong. I knew the way I was living wasn’t God’s best for me. Still, I chose people-pleasing over honoring God and stayed mired in my sin.

As a result, no matter how hard I prayed to be closer to God, suppressed guilt and shame over knowing I wasn’t living right lurked between us, stealing the intimacy I was after.

So if you want to be closer to God, start by telling yourself the truth.

Before you turn up the frequency of your Bible studies, before you kick your prayers for a closer relationship with God into high gear, and before you bust out your new gratitude journal…

Before you do any of those things, you need to tell yourself the truth.

To foster intimacy with God in your life, you have to face and deal with your unaddressed sin. The barrier keeping you from feeling closer to God won’t come down until you do.

Only then will more quiet time, prayer walks, and journaling help you feel closer to Him.

How Prayer Brings You Closer to God

You can’t throw a stone on the internet without hitting an article giving you the impression that prayer alone can make you feel closer to God.

Yes, prayer can help do this. But if you don’t back up your prayers with practical ways of getting to know God—like learning about who He is for yourself, directly from His word—you’re setting yourself up for a shallow relationship built only on feel-good moments that fizzle out as fast as they flare up.

I recommend that you pray for an intimate relationship with God, then keep your eyes and ears peeled for Him to answer in unexpected ways.

For example, one often-ignored side effect of praying for a closer relationship with God is Him showing you issues you need to deal with in your life. If you ask God for closeness, He’ll shine a light on what’s standing in the way of you drawing closer to Him.

You see, it’s easy to forget one critical thing about God. He’s holy.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!
Isaiah 6:3 (NLT)

Jesus died as a sacrifice for your sins. And His death on your behalf made you worthy to stand before God. But God’s holiness—and His matchless love for you—means He won’t stand by and be OK with your willful sin.

So if you genuinely want an intimate relationship with Him—if your prayers for a closer relationship with God are for real—then you have to be willing to do what He shows you in answer to your prayers.

This is an act of faith that will draw you closer to God.

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What Are Some Good Prayers for a Closer Relationship with God?

We’ve addressed the real reason why you’re struggling to feel closer to God. And if you tell yourself the truth of what’s standing in your way, you’ll have won half the battle for intimacy with Him.

Now, it’s time to say a few prayers for a closer relationship with God.

When it comes to prayers, one of the best resources in your toolbox is your Bible. The Psalms, for example, are chock full of prayers spanning the spectrum of human experiences and emotions, including wanting to feel closer to God.

Another resource you can tap into is the Holy Spirit. As a born-again, baptized believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is your Helper and Intercessor.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 8:26 (ESV)

So if you’re at a loss for words when it’s time for your prayers to be closer to God, you can hit up these 2 priceless resources.

Coming in next are these 3 written-for-you prayers for a closer relationship with God. You can use them any time you’re hungry for a deeper connection with Him.

Use the Bible verse just before each prayer to inspire you as you pray to God for a closer relationship with Him.

A Powerful Prayer to Get Closer to God

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
James 4:7-8 (NLT)

Father God, I’m hungry for more of You in my life. The cry of my heart is to be as close to You as any human can be. Yet I feel there’s something between us, something keeping me from drawing closer to You.

Lord Jesus, I know you paid the price for my sins so I can stand blameless before our Father. But I also know He wants all of me, not only the parts I feel comfortable giving.

So I pray now, oh Lord, reveal to me any area of sin or neglect standing between us. Search me and point out any thoughts or behaviors in me that offend you. Show me what’s weighing on me and creating distance between us. And bring to my remembrance whatever I need to know to bridge this gap.

I’m willing to do what it takes to have a closer relationship with You, God. I choose You, and I put You above all other considerations in my life—my comfort, my pride, and my fears. Please work in me and with me to draw closer to You. Amen.

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A Sincere Prayer to Reconnect with God

Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence.
Hosea 6:1-2 (NLT)

Oh God, I’ve been feeling so far away from You! I know You don’t move and You don’t change, so I know the problem is me.

Lord, more than anything, I want to recapture the passion and deep love I had for You in the early days when I just started walking with You. Back then, I felt like there wasn’t room enough for a sheet of paper to come between us.

Yet somehow, I wandered away from You. I let life, other priorities, and bad decisions pull me away. And lately, I’ve been feeling the effects.

So I come to You now with a penitent heart, knowing the best life I can live is one where I bask in Your holy presence at all times.

Forgive me, Father, for letting things come between us. Forgive me for becoming distracted by the world and taking my eyes off You. And forgive me for putting other people and things in Your place.

Bring me back to You, oh God. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and help my heart to be willing to obey only You.

I pray in the holy name of my Savior, Jesus, who washes away my sin and makes me whole again. Amen.

A Deep Prayer for Intimacy with God

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!
Psalm 63:1-3 (NLT)

I praise and thank you, Heavenly Father, for your unfailing love for me. I rejoice in your constant presence, even when my fickle feelings say You’re far from me.

My heart craves more closeness with You, Lord. I want an abiding, unbreakable intimacy with You, deeper than I’ve ever experienced. I want to know You, love You, and trust You like never before.

Whatever needs to happen to create this result in my life, I’m here for it, Lord. If You need to uncover hidden or unacknowledged sin in my life, please do it. If You need to reveal idols I never even realized I put in Your place, please show me. And if You need to rekindle my passion for You, please light the ember that will get the fire going.

More than anything else, I want to be close to You, oh God. I’m drawing close to You. Please draw close to me too. Amen.

Get Your Free Printable Guide for Hearing God

When you’re praying for a closer relationship with God, you can easily feel like you’re failing simply because you keep missing what He’s trying to say to you or show you.

Use this cheat sheet as a guide to help you recognize when God is speaking to you. You’ll get 6 Scripture-based signs, plus related Bible verses for each sign.

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A Final Word about Your Prayers for a Closer Relationship with God

Back when I was praying for a closer relationship with God, I was my own biggest obstacle to getting what I wanted.

I yearned to love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength but didn’t know how. Back then, I didn’t realize that all I had to do was let Him love me!

You see, God wanted me to choose Him first. He wanted me to turn away from my sins and let Him push me into something better than I could have imagined. He wanted me to choose His love, with faith and trust that He’d never let me down.

Thank God I finally wised up!

As for you, it’s time to change the flavor of your prayers for a closer relationship with God. Instead of begging and pleading with Him to come closer to You, get quiet and start noticing the barriers you’ve erected between Him and You.

Then ask Him for the courage, strength, and resolve to do whatever it takes to break those barriers down so you can revel in His glorious presence in your life.

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