How to Grow Your Relationship With God in 2021
Is there someone in your life or a person whom you’ve met that has a relationship with God you admire? Perhaps they regularly share about the things the Lord is teaching them or they seem to have an effortless love for God, His Word, and following the Bible’s teachings. We can’t always put our finger on what lends the impression, but most Christians can quickly recognize when a fellow Believer has a strong, unwavering faith and intimacy with the Lord. For those who have been searching for a connection with God and wishing it was deeper, seeing others flourish in their spiritual lives can be frustrating, even painful.
It is good to crave more closeness with God, as that’s what the Lord wants for us, as well. But like any relationship in life, cultivating intimacy doesn’t always come naturally, and it certainly can’t advance without putting in the work. The difference between those who are just starting to pursue a connection with God and Christians who appear to have an easy relationship with Him is that they have been ardently pursuing Him for a while. It no longer feels like a chore to spend time with God but is a habit that brings joy.
Having walked with God for many decades now, there were certainly points in my relationship with Him that were closer than others. Drawing from biblical examples and witnessing the way others walk with the Lord, I have developed several habits that help me to connect with God, become more like Him, and love Him more. As we enter a new year with a clean slate, we can grow in our relationship with God through the following ways:
1. Purify Our Hearts
“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). The old saying that “you are what you eat” can certainly be true when it comes to what we watch, observe, think, and do. If we fill our souls with worldly “gunk” instead of whatever is true, noble, right, pure, and lovely (Phillippians 4:8), we will become less like Christ and more like the sinful world. But we serve a God who already suffered the punishment for all past, present, and future unrighteousness so that we can be cleansed and pure.
As we seek to become closer with God, we can, in addition to asking Him to purify our hearts and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), begin to filter what we consume through the lens of holiness. Perhaps there are favorite TV shows, podcasts, or musical artists we enjoy that do not send uplifting messages, which we could replace with entertainment that does. Maybe there are people in our lives who are not led by the Lord with whom we should limit our interaction and make it a priority to influence them rather than be influenced by them. Purifying our hearts looks different for everyone, and it is a daily practice, but being filled with the peace of Jesus is far more satisfying than being consumed by the troubles of this fallen world.
2. Pray in His Presence
An amazing example of someone who had a staunch faith and trust in God despite his difficult youth is the prophet Daniel. He was a man who prayed without ceasing, and even when the Babylonians were plotting to have Daniel killed for serving the Lord, he continued to pray each day. One of the amazing things about prayer is that it enables us to talk to God anywhere at any time, but there is something important about getting alone with the Lord so that we can quiet our hearts and hear from Him. I have found that just being quiet and asking the Lord to put on my heart what or who I need to pray for can be very powerful. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26).
In the New Testament, we see Jesus often going to the wilderness to hear from the Father, and he told us to go into our rooms and close the door when we pray (Matthew 6:6). Making it a part of our routines to pray alone, even if it is only for five minutes in the morning or evening, will begin to strengthen our relationship with God as we spend more time with Him and get to know who He is. If we aren’t sure what to say or how to pray, we can find directions for doing so in Matthew 6:9-13. Don’t just rotely recite the Lord’s Prayer; read each line slow and stop and meditate on what the words actually mean. It is a model that Jesus gave us to use, and should not be just recited as quickly as possible without thinking about each word.
3. Praise Him
King David, who was one of Jesus’ ancestors, was described as a man after God’s own heart. He was also a musician who led people in praise, and there were many moments when David’s initial response to earning favor, seeing victory, and even experiencing tragedy was to sing and dance in praise to God. One on occasion, he even embarrassed his wife with what she viewed as excessive praising, but the Lord was honored by David’s unabashed love for Him (2 Samuel 6:12-21).
One of the beautiful things about praise is that we do not have to have music or be at church to do it. We can praise God with our singing, dancing, painting, writing, drawing, or simply by verbally praising Him for who He is and what He has done for us. When we praise God, we cultivate our hearts to love and honor Him.
Every individual has a unique relationship with God that will flourish in its own way, but no connection can be cultivated without care. As we endeavor to draw near to God so that He draws near to us as the Scripture promises, we can make Him more of a priority through purifying, praying, and praising.