Do you sometimes feel far away from God, even though you know He’s always there? Many people go through seasons when their relationship with God feels dry or distant. You pray, but it feels like your words just bounce off the ceiling. You read your Bible, but the words don’t sink into your heart.
Building intimacy with God is not about following a perfect formula or saying the right words. It’s about opening your heart and spending real time with Him. Just like any relationship, getting close to God takes time, honesty, and a true desire to know Him better. These prayers for building intimacy with God will help you draw near to Him in fresh, meaningful ways.
The beautiful promise in James 4:8 tells us that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. That means God wants this closeness even more than we do. He’s waiting for us to come to Him. These 40 prayers will guide you into deeper connection with the One who loves you most.
40 Prayers for Building Intimacy with God
These powerful prayers cover every aspect of growing closer to God. Use them daily to deepen your relationship with Him and experience His presence in new ways.
Prayers for Drawing Near to God’s Heart
1. “Father God, I want to know You better. Not just know about You, but really know You. Draw me close to Your heart. Help me feel Your love in ways I’ve never felt before. Remove anything in my life that keeps distance between us. I want to be near You more than I want anything else. Pull me closer and don’t let me go. Amen.”
2. “Lord, create in me a deep hunger for You. Make me thirsty for Your presence the way a person in the desert craves water. Don’t let me be satisfied with shallow religion or empty routines. Give me a longing that only You can fill. Make me desperate for more of You. Let nothing else satisfy me like You do. Amen.”
3. “God, I want to hear Your voice. Sometimes I’m not sure if it’s You speaking or just my own thoughts. Clear away the noise and confusion in my mind. Teach me how Your voice sounds. Help me recognize when You’re speaking to me. Give me ears that really hear and a heart that responds to Your words. Speak to me, Lord, because I’m listening. Amen.”
4. “Father, my life is so busy and full of distractions. My phone pulls my attention away. My responsibilities crowd out quiet time with You. Help me make space for You in my day. Give me discipline to turn off distractions and sit in Your presence. Teach me that time with You is more important than anything else demanding my attention. Amen.”
5. “Lord, I want to know what You’re really like. Not what people say about You, but who You truly are. Reveal Your character to me through Your Word. Show me Your kindness, Your power, Your mercy, and Your holiness. Help me see You clearly so I can love You more deeply. Let everything I learn about You draw me closer. Amen.”
6. “God, search my heart and show me anything that shouldn’t be there. Clean out the sin that creates walls between us. Wash away guilt and shame that make me want to hide from You. Give me a pure heart that can come boldly into Your presence. I want nothing between us. Make me clean so I can be close to You. Amen.”
7. “Father, increase my love for You. Sometimes I know I should love You more than I do. My love feels weak and small. Fill my heart with deep, passionate love for You. Help me love You the way You deserve to be loved. Let my love for You grow stronger every single day. Make loving You the greatest joy of my life. Amen.”
8. “Lord, I struggle to pray consistently. Some days I pray, other days I forget or make excuses. Help me develop a prayer life that’s steady and strong. Make prayer feel natural, like talking to my closest friend. Remind me throughout the day to talk to You. Let prayer become as necessary to me as breathing. Amen.”
9. “God, I surrender everything to You. My plans, my dreams, my fears, my future – I give it all to You. I’ve been holding onto control, but I release it now. Take my whole life and do whatever You want with it. I trust You completely. Surrendering everything brings me closer to You than holding anything back ever could. Amen.”
10. “Father, teach me to be still and patient in Your presence. I’m always rushing, always moving to the next thing. Help me slow down and just be with You. Let me sit quietly without needing to talk or do anything. Give me patience to wait in Your presence and experience You in the silence. Amen.”
Prayers for Deepening Your Relationship with God
11. “Lord, I want to trust You with my whole heart. Fear and doubt sometimes shake my trust. When I can’t understand what You’re doing, help me trust anyway. When life gets hard, remind me that You’re good and You’re in control. Strengthen my faith so I can rest completely in Your love. Build unshakeable trust between us. Amen.”
12. “God, teach me to worship You in spirit and truth. Let worship be more than singing songs. Help me worship You with my whole life. When I worship, break through and meet me in powerful ways. Transform me as I focus on how amazing You are. Let worship draw me into the deepest places of intimacy with You. Amen.”
13. “Jesus, You said to abide in You like a branch abides in the vine. I want that kind of constant connection. Help me stay attached to You every moment. Let Your life flow through me. Teach me what it means to live in You and have You live in me. Don’t let me stray from this place of closeness. Amen.”
14. “Holy Spirit, make me sensitive to Your presence. Wake up my spiritual senses so I can perceive You. Help me notice when You’re near and recognize how You’re moving. Don’t let my heart become dull or my spirit become numb. Keep me alert and aware of You at all times. Sharpen my sensitivity to everything spiritual. Amen.”
15. “Father, walls have been built around my heart. Past hurts, disappointments, and fear created these barriers. Break down every wall that keeps me from being fully open with You. Tear down my defenses. Help me stop protecting my heart and let You all the way in. Remove every obstacle between us. Amen.”
16. “Lord, I want You to be my first love. But honestly, other things often take Your place. Help me love You more than comfort, success, relationships, or anything else. Make devotion to You the center of my life. Let everything else fade in importance compared to knowing You. Give me a heart that seeks You above all. Amen.”
17. “God, open my eyes to see You in everyday moments. Help me recognize Your hand in the ordinary parts of life. Let me notice You in creation, in conversations, in small blessings. Don’t let me miss You because I’m looking for something more dramatic. Teach me to find You everywhere I go. Amen.”
18. “Father, when I read Your Word, help me understand it deeply. Don’t let the Bible just be words on a page. Let Scripture come alive and speak directly to my heart. Give me insight that only Your Spirit can provide. Use Your Word to reveal Yourself to me. Make Bible reading a place where we meet intimately. Amen.”
19. “Lord, I know You love me, but I want to really feel it. Let Your love become real to me, not just an idea I believe. Pour Your love into my heart in ways I can experience. Help me receive Your love fully. Let me rest in being loved by You. Make Your love the most real thing in my life. Amen.”
20. “Holy Spirit, guide me into all truth. Lead me deeper into relationship with the Father and Jesus. Show me things I could never figure out on my own. Teach me how to pray, how to worship, how to live close to God. Be my constant companion and guide. Don’t let me try to do this alone. Amen.”
Prayers for Overcoming Distance from God
21. “God, I’m in a dry season. My prayers feel empty, my worship feels forced, and I can’t feel Your presence. Please bring rain to my dry soul. Refresh my spirit. Breathe new life into my relationship with You. Don’t let this dryness last forever. Break through and meet me here. Revive my heart again. Amen.”
22. “Father, I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not. I want to be real with You. Help me come to You honestly – with my doubts, my struggles, my mess. Let me stop performing and just be myself in Your presence. Teach me that You love the real me, not some perfect version. Make our relationship authentic. Amen.”
23. “Lord, fill my heart with gratitude for everything You’ve done. When I focus on Your blessings, I feel closer to You. Help me count my blessings and recognize Your goodness. Don’t let me take You for granted. Let thankfulness be a pathway that leads me straight to Your heart. Make me grateful every single day. Amen.”
24. “God, show me what has become an idol in my life. Anything I love more than You, anything that takes Your place – remove it. I don’t want anything competing for the place that belongs only to You. Break my attachment to things that pull me away from You. Let nothing rival my devotion to You. Amen.”
25. “Father, Jesus said we must come to You like little children. Give me that kind of simple, trusting faith. Help me approach You without pretense or sophistication. Let me crawl into Your lap like a child runs to their daddy. Remove the complications and just help me be Your beloved child. Amen.”
26. “Lord, my relationship with You has become routine. I go through the motions without real passion. Reignite the fire in my heart. Give me fresh excitement about knowing You. Don’t let my walk with You become boring or predictable. Bring back the passion I once had, or give me passion I’ve never known. Amen.”
27. “God, I want to know what You think. Teach me to align my thoughts with Yours. Help me see situations the way You see them. Give me Your perspective on my life, my relationships, my purpose. The closer I get to You, the more I want to think like You think. Transform my mind to match Yours. Amen.”
28. “Father, so many things try to distract me from You. Busyness, entertainment, worries – they all steal my focus. Protect my time with You. Guard my heart from things that pull me away. Give me wisdom to say no to distractions and yes to intimacy with You. Keep me focused on what matters most. Amen.”
29. “Lord, bring people into my life who also want to know You deeply. Let me fellowship with believers who will encourage me to grow closer to You. Help us sharpen each other and point each other toward You. Use godly friendships to strengthen my intimacy with You. Surround me with people who love You. Amen.”
30. “God, You have been so faithful to me throughout my life. Help me remember all the ways You’ve shown up. When I recall Your faithfulness, my trust grows and I feel closer to You. Let memories of what You’ve done increase my faith for what You’ll do. Your faithfulness draws me near. Amen.”
Prayers for Complete Devotion to God
31. “Father, pride keeps me at a distance from You. Break my pride and make me humble. Let me come before You broken and needy, acknowledging that I can’t do life without You. Brokenness isn’t weakness – it’s the pathway to experiencing Your strength. Make me humble enough to receive everything You want to give. Amen.”
32. “Lord, I know obedience shows love. Help me obey You quickly and completely. Don’t let me argue or delay when You ask something of me. The more I obey, the closer we become. Give me a heart that loves to do what You say. Let obedience be my natural response to Your voice. Amen.”
33. “God, like David who thirsted for You in a dry and weary land, I’m thirsty for Your presence. Create that same desperation in me. Don’t let me be content without You. Make me crave Your presence more than anything this world offers. Satisfy my thirsty soul with the living water only You can give. Amen.”
34. “Father, teach me to rest in Your love without striving. I don’t have to earn Your affection or prove my worth. Help me simply receive and rest in being loved by You. Stop my anxious striving. Let me find peace in knowing I’m completely loved just as I am. Your love is my safe resting place. Amen.”
35. “Lord, search me and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there’s any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Don’t let hidden things create distance between us. Expose whatever needs to come into the light. I give You full access to search every part of me. Amen.”
36. “God, teach me to meditate on Your Word day and night. Help me chew on Scripture until it becomes part of me. Let Your words sink deep into my heart. Give me passages that speak directly to my soul. Use Your Word to transform my thinking and draw me closer to You. Make meditation a daily practice. Amen.”
37. “Father, You tell me to delight myself in You and You’ll give me the desires of my heart. Teach me what it means to delight in You. Help me find my greatest joy and pleasure in Your presence. Let knowing You become the thing I enjoy most. Make You my delight above every other delight. Amen.”
38. “Lord, I want to hide nothing from You. Help me be completely transparent about my thoughts, feelings, failures, and fears. Stop me from pretending or covering things up. You already know everything anyway. Give me courage to be fully known and still feel fully loved. Let transparency deepen our intimacy. Amen.”
39. “God, help me glorify You in everything I do. Let my whole life bring You praise. Whether I’m working, resting, eating, or playing – let it all honor You. When glorifying You becomes my focus, everything else falls into place. Make bringing You glory the motivation behind all I do. Amen.”
40. “Father, I give You everything – my past, my present, my future. I devote my whole life to knowing You and being known by You. You are the treasure I’ve been searching for. Nothing else compares to the value of intimate relationship with You. I’m all in. My heart is Yours completely. Keep me close forever. Amen.”
Why Building Intimacy with God Matters
You were created for relationship with God. That’s not just religious talk – it’s the deep truth about why you exist. Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. They knew perfect closeness with Him. That’s what your soul craves because that’s what you were made for.
Sin broke that intimate connection, but Jesus restored it. When you accept what Jesus did on the cross, the way back to God opens up. You can have the closeness with God that humanity lost in the garden. That intimate relationship is available to you right now.
Building intimacy with God changes everything about your life. When you’re close to Him, you have peace that doesn’t make sense. You have joy even in hard circumstances. You have direction when you’re confused. Everything flows from this one thing – knowing God deeply and personally.
How to Use These Prayers Daily
These prayers for building intimacy with God work best when you use them consistently. Pick one prayer each day and pray it slowly. Let the words sink into your heart. Don’t rush through them like a checklist.
You can also pray multiple prayers in one sitting. Start your morning with prayers from the first section about drawing near to God’s heart. End your evening with prayers about complete devotion. Use them throughout the day whenever you need to reconnect with God.
Personalize these prayers. Add your own words. Insert your specific struggles or desires. The prayers are starting points, but your honest conversation with God matters most. Let them inspire your own prayers that come straight from your heart.
What Blocks Intimacy with God
Several things can create distance in your relationship with God. Sin is the obvious one. When you’re living in patterns of sin without repenting, it puts up walls. Not because God stops loving you, but because sin makes you want to hide from Him.
Busyness also kills intimacy. You can be so busy – even with good things – that you have no time left for God. Your schedule gets packed, and quiet time with Him gets squeezed out. Before you know it, days have passed without any real connection.
Pride creates distance as well. When you think you can handle life on your own, when you trust yourself more than you trust God, intimacy suffers. Pride says “I’ve got this” while intimacy says “I need You.” Humility is essential for closeness with God.
Making Space for God Daily
In our busy world, you have to intentionally create space for God. It won’t just happen on its own. Everything else will crowd Him out if you let it. You need to protect time with God like you’d protect time with anyone you love.
Many people find that early morning works best. Before the demands of the day start pulling at you, spend time with God. Your mind is fresh, your house is quiet, and you can give Him your best attention. But if you’re not a morning person, find another time that works for you.
Create a place where you meet with God. It might be a comfortable chair in your bedroom, a corner of your living room, or even outside in nature. Having a specific spot helps train your mind and heart to focus. When you go to that place, you know it’s time to connect with God.
What Happens When You Get Close to God
As your intimacy with God deepens, you’ll notice changes in your life. Peace becomes your normal state instead of anxiety. You worry less because you trust more. Problems that once overwhelmed you feel manageable because you know God is with you.
Your prayers change too. Instead of just asking God for things, you find yourself talking to Him about everything. Prayer becomes as natural as talking to a friend. You talk to Him while driving, cooking, working, or lying in bed at night.
You start hearing His voice more clearly. Not audibly necessarily, but in your spirit. You sense His guidance, His warnings, His encouragement. You know what He wants you to do because you’ve learned to recognize His voice through spending time with Him.
When Intimacy Feels Hard
There will be seasons when building intimacy with God feels hard. You try to pray but feel nothing. You read your Bible but it seems like just words. You worship but feel disconnected. These dry seasons are normal, and they don’t mean God has abandoned you.
During hard seasons, keep showing up anyway. Don’t wait for feelings before you pray or read Scripture. Discipline carries you through when emotions don’t. Your faithfulness during dry times proves your love is real, not just based on how you feel.
Be honest with God about your struggles. Tell Him you feel distant. Ask Him to break through. Cry out for more of His presence. God isn’t offended by honest prayers. He honors hearts that persistently seek Him even when it’s difficult.
Living in Constant Connection
The goal isn’t just to have a quiet time with God in the morning and then forget about Him the rest of the day. The goal is constant connection, where you’re aware of His presence all day long. You can live in a state of ongoing conversation with Him.
Practice talking to God throughout your day. When something good happens, thank Him right then. When you face a challenge, ask for His help immediately. When you see something beautiful, mention it to Him. Keep the conversation going all day.
This kind of constant connection transforms ordinary life. Grocery shopping becomes time with God. Your commute to work becomes prayer time. Washing dishes becomes worship. Every moment has the potential to be intimate time with Him.
Your Next Steps
After praying these prayers for building intimacy with God, take action. Choose one thing you’ll do differently starting today. Maybe it’s setting your alarm fifteen minutes earlier for morning time with God. Maybe it’s putting your phone away during lunch to pray.
Pick one prayer from this list to pray every day this week. Personalize it. Make it your own. Let it become the cry of your heart. Return to it throughout the day, repeating it whenever you think of it.
Remember that God wants this intimacy even more than you do. He’s not a distant deity waiting for you to earn His attention. He’s a loving Father who delights in being close to His children. He’s already moving toward you. All you need to do is stop running away and let Him come close.
