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5 Quick Habits to Grow Closer to God

  • Mar 31
  • 4 min read


By: Luis Nava


We know that life can get pretty busy, but making space for God is still crucial, even when we may feel too tired or stressed to pray. In fact, those moments of fatigue are great moments to pray because God calls us to give our worries over to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” This article aims to give you a few different habits that you can implement throughout your day so you can be closer to God. These habits are good starting points, and I encourage you to go deeper, but God appreciates any amount of time that you dedicate to Him.


  1. Scripture Reading

Reading the Bible is an extremely important part of following God because the Bible is the Word of God! Reading 5 minutes of your Bible every day can be a great way to grow closer to God and make your ear more attentive to His word. I encourage you to give yourself a few minutes of silence after you are done reading the Bible to simply sit in quiet, listening for God’s voice. When reading the Bible, remember that it contains different books of different genres, meaning that not all of the books are scientific or historical documentation of events. Another key aspect of Scripture reading is to remember to try to read in-context so you can best understand the full meaning of what is going on. By this, I mean do not just take out a verse from the chapter, book, or collection of books that it is found in. Try to read them all, even if it is slowly, so you can really understand. Also, remember to read in historical context as well – take into account the location, time-period, or culture where it was written for better comprehension.


Here is a valuable resource if you want to know more about Bible reading: 

So, I encourage you: Start reading, and you will find yourself closer to God!


  1. Say a Hail Mary when you hear an ambulance

I know many people in my parish community already do this, and it is very beautiful because, by asking Mary for her intercession when we hear an ambulance, we are helping the person who is suffering. If any of us were going through an accident, I am sure that we would want prayers, so by praying when we hear an ambulance, we are loving others as ourselves, like Jesus taught us to do. Praying when you hear an ambulance will also make you appreciate the gift of health that God has given you. Plus, imagine that an ambulance drives through a large town, and 200 people say a Hail Mary. Those prayers are powerful, meaningful, and helpful to the suffering person.


  1. The Examen, one of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s prayers

This Examen is not a stressful exam, rather it is a fruitful examination of your day that can help you realize how beautiful your days are.


Here are the five steps in one version of this prayer:

1. Become aware of God’s presence.

2. Review the day with gratitude.

3. Pay attention to your emotions.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.

5. Look toward tomorrow.


Some aspects of this prayer are thanking God for the good moments as well as asking for His forgiveness for the moments that were not-so-perfect, and this can help you not only realize how blessed you are, but also how you can become a better follower of Jesus. After several weeks of doing this practice, you can think back to all of the moments that have been peace-filled and be even more thankful as you come to realize that each day is blessed by God.


The Examen was one St. Ignatius of Loyola's prayers
The Examen was one St. Ignatius of Loyola's prayers

  1. Praying the Angelus or Regina Caeli

This is a custom that goes back for many centuries, and it consists of doing a short prayer, called the Angelus (the Regina Caeli is prayed instead of the Angelus during the Easter season), at noon. It can also be done at dawn, noon, and in the evening since it is very short.



  1. Offering your Day to God

This last habit can be done in the morning when you wake up. Have you ever heard the famous speech, “If you want to change the world, start by making your bed”? This speech emphasizes that getting that small victory in the morning will propel you to much larger victories throughout the day. If every morning, you manage to get up exactly at the time you want to, say a prayer to offer your day to God, then start getting ready for school, you will have won a huge victory. Your body might be screaming at you to give it five more minutes of laying in bed, but by conquering your body, you are enforcing a discipline that will allow you to conquer the day. So if you want to change the world and grow closer to Jesus, start by getting out of bed on time, saying a prayer, then making your bed.


Thank you for reading this article, I hope you enjoyed it and that you try implementing at least one of these habits into your daily routine. I hope they are fruitful for you, and that they help you on your journey to get closer to God.





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