How to Get Closer to God: 10 Practical Steps That Actually Help

If you’re asking how to get closer to God, something has already begun. The desire itself is a sign that God is drawing you. As Saint Augustine wrote in his Confessions, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.

The good news is that closeness to God doesn’t depend on feelings, special experiences or being a “religious person.” It grows the way any relationship grows: by spending time together, listening, talking honestly and coming back again and again. Scripture puts it simply:

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

Here are ten practical ways to draw near, rooted in the Catholic tradition and doable for anyone.

1. Give God the first minutes of your day

The single most powerful habit is a small, fixed time of prayer every day. Five minutes in the morning, before your phone, is enough to start. Sit somewhere quiet, make the Sign of the Cross, and talk to God plainly: thank Him for the night, offer Him the day, tell Him what worries you.

The time matters less than the faithfulness. Jesus himself went off to pray early in the morning (Mark 1:35). A short prayer kept every day will change you more than a long one kept once a month.

2. Pray honestly, in your own words

Many people feel far from God because they think prayer must sound a certain way. It doesn’t. Prayer is conversation. Tell God what you actually feel, including anger, doubt and boredom. The Psalms are full of complaints, questions and tears; they are in the Bible precisely so we know honest prayer is welcome.

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

3. Read a little Scripture every day

You get to know a person by listening to them. Scripture is how God speaks. Don’t start at Genesis and try to read straight through; start with one of the Gospels, Mark or Luke, a few verses a day.

A simple method the Church has used for centuries is lectio divina (“divine reading”):

1. Read a short passage slowly.
2. Reflect on the word or phrase that stands out.
3. Respond to God about it in prayer.
4. Rest in silence for a minute.

Ten minutes of this is often enough to feel that God is speaking to you personally.

4. Make room for silence

God rarely shouts. When the prophet Elijah looked for God, the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Most of us never hear that voice because we never stop making noise.

Try one minute of silence after your prayer, with no words and no music, just being present to God. Leave the radio off for part of your drive. Take a short walk without headphones. Silence is uncomfortable at first, then it becomes a refuge.

5. Go to Mass, and pay attention

For Catholics, the Mass is the closest we come to God on earth: in the Eucharist, Jesus gives Himself to us, Body and Blood, soul and divinity. If you go already, try arriving five minutes early to pray, and listening to the readings as if they were written for you. If you haven’t gone in a while, simply go next Sunday. You don’t need to have everything figured out.

6. Go to Confession

Nothing makes God feel distant like unconfessed sin. Guilt quietly convinces us to hide, the way Adam and Eve hid in the garden. The sacrament of Confession is where Jesus takes that weight away. Many people who return after years describe it as the moment God felt close again. If you’re nervous, tell the priest it’s been a long time; he will help you through it.

7. Pray the Rosary, even one decade

The Rosary is a school of closeness to Jesus. While your lips pray the Hail Mary, your mind walks with Him through His life, death and resurrection, alongside His mother. If a full Rosary feels like too much, pray one decade a day. Our guide to praying the Rosary walks you through it step by step.

8. Practice gratitude every evening

Before sleep, look back on your day and notice where God was present: a kind word, a good meal, a moment of beauty, a problem that turned out fine. Saint Ignatius of Loyola built a whole prayer around this, the daily Examen:

1. Ask God for light.
2. Give thanks for the gifts of the day.
3. Review the day: where you felt close to God, and where you drifted.
4. Ask forgiveness for where you fell short.
5. Look to tomorrow with hope.

Gratitude trains your eyes to see God in ordinary life, and that is where He usually is.

9. Love the people in front of you

Jesus said that whatever we do for the least of His brothers and sisters, we do for Him (Matthew 25:40). Closeness to God is not only a private experience; it grows when we serve. Visit someone lonely. Forgive someone. Volunteer at your parish. You will often find God most clearly in the face of someone who needs you.

10. Don’t walk alone

Faith grows in community. Find a parish where you feel at home, join a Bible study or prayer group, or ask a friend to pray with you once a week. Read the lives of the saints: they were ordinary people who struggled exactly as we do, and their stories make holiness feel possible.

What if you don’t feel anything?

Almost everyone who prays seriously goes through dry seasons when God feels silent. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong or that God has left. Saints from John of the Cross to Mother Teresa described long periods of darkness in prayer. Keep showing up. Faithfulness in the dry seasons is often where faith grows deepest. We wrote more about this in how to grow closer to God when you feel far away.

A simple plan for this week

You don’t need to do all ten at once. Start here:

• Every morning: five minutes of prayer before your phone.
• Every day: read a few verses of the Gospel of Mark.
• Every evening: name three things you’re grateful for.
• This Sunday: go to Mass, five minutes early.

That’s it. Do it for a week, then add one more practice. Closeness to God is built the way a friendship is: one ordinary day at a time.

Frequently asked questions

How can I get closer to God as a beginner?

Start small and be consistent: five minutes of prayer every morning, a few verses of a Gospel each day and Mass on Sunday. Talk to God honestly in your own words. Consistency matters far more than how long or how eloquently you pray.

How long does it take to feel closer to God?

There is no set timeline, and feelings come and go. Many people notice a deeper peace within a few weeks of daily prayer, but closeness to God is a relationship, not a feeling. It grows through faithfulness, especially on the days you feel nothing.

Can I get closer to God without going to church?

You can pray, read Scripture and grow in faith anywhere. But Christianity has always been lived in community, and for Catholics the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession, are where Christ meets us most directly. Private prayer and the life of the Church strengthen each other.

What should I say when I pray?

Say whatever is true. Thank God for something, tell Him what’s worrying you, ask for what you need and pray for someone else. If you run out of words, pray the Our Father, slowly. Jesus gave it to us for exactly that moment.