10 Powerful Ways to Draw Near to God

It is so easy to get distracted by things such as social media, sporting events, and everyday life. While all those things are great, we cannot forget the one thing that really matters: taking time to seek and draw near to our Lord Jesus God with a sincere heart.

Here are ten powerful ways to draw near to God and achieve greater intimacy with our Living God today. At the very end, there is a special prayer to pray to help you draw closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. By Trusting in the Mediator Christ Jesus

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1st Timothy 2:5-7 ESV)

Due to our sin, we could not reach up to God. However, God took the first step by reaching down to us and sending His son, Jesus Christ to die for our sin. Those who have trusted in the Son of God now have a pure heart and can draw near to God.

2. By Accessing God Anywhere

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19&22 ESV)

In the Old Testament, there was a place in the temple called the Holy Place, and the High Priest was only allowed back there once a year, just on the day of atonement. It was the Holy Place because it was where God dwelt most fully on earth. Due to the blood of Jesus, God’s presence is not just confined to the Holy Place in the house of God, so we can draw near to God anywhere and be in the presence of the Lord.

3. By Taking Intentional Time to Seek Him

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8 ESV)

While it is true that God is always present with us, the more we seek after Him, the more we realize His presence is there. Some of the best things we can do to seek and spend time with God is read God’s word in the Bible. If you do not have access to a physical Bible, there are many different Bible apps available.

You can also meet in a small group to talk more about God, sing and listen to worship music, listen to Christian podcasts, work through Bible study guides or join one or more Bible study groups.

4. By Confessing Sin

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 ESV)

Just because someone is living the Christian life does not mean that they do not sometimes seek their own way and have sin in their life. The good news is that we draw near to the right hand of God by confessing that sin to Him and thanking Him for mercy and grace. We meet with our heavenly Father for grace and forgiveness.

5. By Bible Reading

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2nd Timothy 3:16 ESV)

Every word in the Bible was written by man but was inspired by God through the power of the Holy Spirit. That means every single Bible verse is from God. We draw near to God by taking quiet time and reading the Bible, which He gave to us.

6. By Praying

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” (James 5:13 ESV)

When we are having a difficult time, such as when we are suffering, we can pray, and He hears us. When we are doing well, we can sing to Him, which can be another way to pray. One way we can draw near to God is by talking to Him through prayer.

7. By Loving God and People

“‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NASB)

As we choose to love God and people, it draws us closer to Him. We grow a closer relationship with God by choosing to love God and people. It is not that these good works make God love us more, but we understand who God is in a deeper way by loving Him and the people around us.

8. By the Holy Spirit

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 ESV)

The Helper that Jesus is talking about here is the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit dwelt with people in the Old Testament, but the Holy Spirit lives inside all believers in the New Testament. While Jesus was physically limited here on earth to one place at one time, the Holy Spirit is not limited and helps all people draw close to God.

9. By Spending Time with Other Christians

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42 ESV)

In this scripture, we get a sneak peek at what would happen as the early church gathered together. As a group, they gathered in the sight of the Lord and listened to preaching (apostles’ teaching), had fellowship together, broke bread (Communion), and prayed. They did all of these activities so they could draw near to God.

10. By Seeking the True God

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:15 ESV)

To draw near to God, we must call upon the true God. We cannot make up our own idea of who God is and seek that idea. Reading Bible verses daily is the best way to find out who the true God is. If you have a hard time understanding these verses, a good Christian podcast can help.

Conclusion

Since God has drawn near to us by sending Jesus, those who have trusted Jesus now have an opportunity to draw near to Him. We can draw nearer to our Almighty God anywhere by taking intentional time to confess sin, read the Word, pray, love people, spend time with Christians, seek truth and work on our spiritual growth. May the Holy Spirit enable us with sincere hearts to draw near to God first thing in the morning, all throughout the day, and at night as we lie down after a long day.

If you want to draw near to God, here is a prayer to pray. Feel free to adapt and change this prayer to fit your situation.

Prayer to Draw Near to God

Lord, I thank you that I get a chance to draw near to You. Thank You that Jesus, our Great High Priest, made a way for me to get to know You. Lord, I know I do not deserve this opportunity because of my sin, but You have made a way through the cross of Jesus Christ. I praise you for this gift, O God! While my sin is great, Your mercy and grace are so much more. When I could not reach up to You because of my sin, You reached down to me by sending Jesus.

Father God, there was a period of time when people could only draw near to You in the temple or synagogue. We are so thankful, Lord, that we can access You anywhere and at any time. You are present with me right now, even if I do not see or feel You. Whether I am at home, in a store, or at a Church building, I can draw near to You. Thank You, Lord God, for hearing my prayer as I sit right here in the room with You today.

Mighty Savior, I confess to You whatever sin I have in me right now so that I can draw even nearer to You. I confess this sin not to earn Your love, but because I see how great Your love is for me. It is Your love for me, Father, that love makes me want to confess. Whatever evil is hiding in my heart that I cannot see, Father, I pray You show me. I want nothing to get in the way of me drawing nearer to You.

Adonai, Yahweh, Jehovah Rapha, help me, as sometimes it can be hard for me to read the Bible. I know that these are Your words for me, Lord. Please, Lord, give me a deeper desire to read Your words that You gave to me. Help me understand and apply Your Word as I read it. Most importantly,  Lord, I pray that You help me see Your grace and mercy for me through Jesus as I read. As I understand Your grace and mercy, Lord God, I feel myself drawing nearer to You.

Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit. I would not be able to see how to draw near to You if it was not for the Spirit of God living in me. While Jesus was limited to one space at one time while physically on the earth, Your Spirit lives inside of every believer, including me. Thank You, my Savoir, that this Spirit draws me closer to You in moments when I may not even feel like drawing close to You.

Father God, just as Jesus chose to love the people around Him, help me do the same. Help me grow in a relationship with You as I love the people around me. Guide my soul in walking in Your image as I connect with others and as we together grow in our relationships with You. Almighty Father, by loving the people around me, You teach me that I am not just being a nice person, but also bringing Your kingdom to this earth. Make me Your vessel, Lord.

Almighty Father, more than anything, I pray that my deepest desire is to know You more and be with You. While life may get extremely tough, as long as I am with You, I know that You can get me through any situation that arises. Come what may, I know that I have You with me! If You are for me, what can be against me? El Shaddai, I know I may not always live this way, and I pray You change me more and more as I grow in my Christian walk. Every day,  I pray that I draw closer to You, my Father. I ask all of this in the beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.