How to Grow Closer to God Through Prayer
Updated: Jul 27
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God."— Psalm 42:1
A Deer That Made Me Pause
As I was out for a walk recently, I noticed a deer standing quietly in a field. In that moment, my thoughts immediately went to Psalm 42.
Watching that deer made me pause and ask myself...
Do I truly desire to spend time with Him?
Do I simply enjoy talking with Him?
Is my soul truly longing for God, or have I allowed the busyness of life to drown out that longing?
That simple moment on my walk reminded me of how deeply our souls need God.
Just as a deer instinctively searches for water because it knows it cannot live without it, our souls were created to seek and depend on Him.
God Wants Our Honest Hearts
As I reflected on that moment, I thought about the prayers throughout the Psalms.
The writers didn't pretend everything was okay. They poured out their hearts before God. They expressed fear, loneliness, anxiety, grief, disappointment, and even questions. Other times, they overflowed with praise, worship, and thanksgiving.
God invites us to come to Him exactly as we are.
He already knows what we are thinking and feeling, so why not bring those things to Him? He isn't waiting to reject us—He is inviting us to draw near.
James 4:8 reminds us:
"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."
Prayer Is Simply Talking with God
Prayer isn't about using perfect words or saying the "right" thing.
Prayer is simply talking with your Heavenly Father.
It is sharing your heart with the One who already knows you completely and loves you deeply.
Throughout Scripture, we see that prayer isn't merely something God suggests—it is one of the primary ways we grow in our relationship with Him.
Jesus Shows Us By Example
As I've been reading through the Gospel of Mark this week, I noticed something about Jesus.
He intentionally withdrew to spend time praying.
Mark 1:35 says:
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed."
Notice that Jesus found a quiet place where He could be alone with His Father.
Later, after hearing that John the Baptist had been killed, after feeding the five thousand, and after sending His disciples away in a boat, Jesus again withdrew to pray.
I don't know about you, but if prayer was important to Jesus, then I want to follow His example.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus showed us that prayer was not something to fit into the leftover moments of life. Prayer was essential.
Jesus Expected His Followers to Pray
Not only did Jesus model prayer, but He also clearly expected His followers to pray.
Notice that Jesus did not say, "If you pray."
He said:
Matthew 6:5 — "When you pray..."
Matthew 6:6 — "When you pray..."
Matthew 6:7 — "When you pray..."
Matthew 6:9 — "Pray then like this..."
Luke 11:9 — "Ask... Seek... Knock."
Luke 18:1 — "...they ought always to pray and not lose heart."
Prayer wasn't presented as an option.
It was the normal rhythm of a disciple's life.
The Bible Calls Us to Pray Continually
The New Testament continually encourages believers to pray.
Colossians 4:2 tells us:
"Continue steadfastly in prayer."
Then in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, Paul writes:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
If we truly desire to do God's will—and I believe we do—these verses give us clear direction.
As prayer becomes a priority, our relationship with our Heavenly Father grows deeper.
We begin to recognize His leading more clearly and learn to trust Him more fully.
God loves us. He desires to guide us, comfort us, transform us, and teach us through His Spirit as we spend time with Him.
Paul gives us two practical ways to cultivate a life of continual prayer.
1. Rejoice Always
For me personally, this often looks like praising God and thanking Him throughout the day.
When my heart is filled with praise and gratitude, my mind is focused on God rather than my circumstances.
One simple practice I enjoy is praising God using the alphabet.
I begin with A:
"Lord, I praise You because You are Awesome, Amazing, and Almighty."
Then I move to B:
"You are Beautiful, Benevolent, and my Burden Bearer."
I continue all the way through the alphabet.
This simple practice keeps my heart focused on who God is rather than on everything happening around me.
2. Give Thanks in Every Circumstance
Another practice I enjoy is using my five senses to help me recognize God's goodness.
I ask myself:
What do I see?
What do I hear?
What do I smell?
What do I touch?
What do I taste?
My prayers often sound something like this:
"Lord, thank You for this beautiful sunrise."
"Thank You for the birds singing."
"Thank You for the smell of fresh coffee."
"Thank You for the hug from a friend."
"Thank You for this delicious food."
The more we practice gratitude, the more we begin to notice God's goodness all around us.
Jesus Gave Us a Pattern for Prayer
In Matthew 6:6 and 9–13, Jesus teaches us to go into our room, shut the door, and pray to our Father in secret.
Then He gives us this beautiful pattern for prayer:
"Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil."
This prayer reminds us to begin with worship, surrender our will to God's, trust Him with our needs, confess our sins, forgive others, and depend on Him daily.
Forgiveness Is Part of Prayer
Immediately following this prayer, Jesus reminds us of the importance of forgiveness.
Matthew 6:14–15 says:
"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Forgiveness isn't optional for believers.
It is part of living a life that reflects the heart of Christ.
Two Prayer Methods That Have Helped Me
There are many wonderful ways to pray, but two of my favorites are praying Scripture and using the ACTS prayer model.
Praying Scripture
One of the most powerful ways to pray is by praying God's Word back to Him.
For example, Ephesians 1:16–17 can become a personal prayer:
"I do not cease giving thanks for ________, remembering ________ in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give ________ the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him."*
Another beautiful prayer comes from Colossians 1:9–10:
I have not ceased to pray for ________, asking that ________ may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."*
*Where you see the blanks, you can insert your own name or the name of someone you are praying for.
I love this practice because it reminds me that prayer isn't about creating the perfect words—it is about agreeing with God's Word and bringing His promises before Him.
The ACTS Prayer Method
Another helpful prayer method is the ACTS model:
Adoration — Praise God for who He is.
Begin your prayer by focusing on God's character. He is holy, faithful, loving, merciful, powerful, and worthy of all praise.
Confession — Honestly confess your sins.
Confession allows us to come before God with humility and a heart that is willing to be changed.
Thanksgiving — Thank Him for His goodness.
A thankful heart helps us recognize God's faithfulness, even in difficult seasons.
Supplication — Bring your requests before Him.
God invites us to bring our needs, concerns, and the needs of others before Him.
These prayer methods are not meant to become a checklist or a formula. They are simply tools that help us slow down, focus our hearts, and spend meaningful time with our Heavenly Father.
My Prayer for You
I want to encourage you by saying that I am still learning too.
I desire to pray without ceasing, but I don't always do this as well as I would like. Some days I am more intentional than others. But I am thankful that God's grace continually draws me back to Him.
Every day is another opportunity to seek Him, listen to Him, and grow closer to Him.
Just as the deer instinctively searches for water because it knows it cannot live without it, may we become women who instinctively turn to God in prayer because we know our souls cannot thrive without Him.
My prayer is that each day we would find ourselves longing for His presence a little more than the day before.
That we would become women who don't simply pray when life is difficult, but women who walk with God through prayer in every season.
I'd Love to Hear From You
How has prayer changed your relationship with God?
I would love for you to share in the comments below.
If this post encouraged you, I invite you to subscribe to Beloved in Grace so you don't miss future encouragement. And if you know someone who needs to be reminded that
God is near, would you share this post with them?
Friend, remember this:
God isn't asking you to come to Him with perfect words.
He is simply asking you to come.
He delights in hearing the voice of His daughter.
Until next time, keep growing in His grace.
Today I want to bless you with a simple Prayer Companion Guide to go along with this post. My prayer is that it will encourage you as you spend time with the Lord and help you create space to slow down, pray, and draw near to Him.
This guide includes the ACTS prayer model, Praising God Through the alphabet, gratitude prompts, and space to write your own prayers and reflections.
I hope it becomes a helpful tool as you continue growing in your relationship with Jesus.
Click below to download your free Prayer Companion Guide.
Blessings,
Beth
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