5 Ways to Grow in Your Relationship with God this School Year
By Marisa D'Amore · · Updated
Back to school season has me reflecting on my high school years and how my relationship with God grew during that time. Whether we are walking the hallways of high school or across a college campus, we can be a blessing right where we are.
Quick Answer
To grow in your relationship with God this school year, start with ten minutes of alone time with Him each morning, fill it with worship, prayer and a little Bible reading, practice His presence between classes and expect Him to speak in ways that always line up with Scripture. Small consistent steps produce real closeness with God.
I want to share how I grew in my relationship with God during my teenage years.
I asked Jesus into my heart when I was in early elementary school, but it was not until I was 14 years old that I understood that a deeper relationship with God was possible. Everything changed the summer before my freshman year, when I felt God convicting me to read the Bible on a regular basis.
I began to read a few verses and short chapters, and suddenly felt so much peace and fulfillment. Before I knew it, my hunger for God began to grow and I was hearing His voice for the first time in my life.
After taking that first little step to open the Word, eventually I began to regularly spend alone time with God as I realized that I needed to make my relationship with Him a priority instead of just something I put on the back burner.
1. Spending Alone Time with God
During my freshman year of high school, I began waking up ten minutes early to have quiet time with the Lord before school. I would talk with Him, just like a friend, bringing Him my honest thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, I would just sit in silence and focus on being with Him.
My life completely changed as I began to have a better attitude about school and I saw my day as an opportunity to encourage others and represent Christ.
What started with only ten minutes with God a day every morning gradually increased to fifteen and so on. It is okay to start small, because He will honor the time you give Him. If you want help building the habit itself, here are my 6 tips for starting a daily devotional routine.
2. What to Do During Quiet Time
As I have practiced spending alone time with God, He has taught me three main ways for deepening my relationship with Him.
Worship
It is very helpful to begin quiet time by worshipping and praising God. You can put on soft worship music and sing along to it. Or, you can sing without music in the background. God actually tells us to enter His presence with singing in Psalm 100:2.
I honestly felt uncomfortable doing this at first, but after a while I got used to it and I found that I desired to worship Him in this way. Singing helps our hearts connect to God and our attitudes also change as we praise and thank Him.
Prayer
Prayer is the second thing I do during my time alone with God. I do not try to impress Him or use fancy words. I simply pour out my heart to Him. I talk with Him about my joys, fears, struggles and everything in between. I also ask Him for His will for my life and I ask Him to bring others to salvation.
Bible Study
I read and study the Bible after I have worshipped and prayed. I do not read the Word first because I want to authentically connect with God from my heart before I read. When opening the Bible, I do not have a formula. I simply read a verse, passage or chapter that interests me.
Here are a few ideas for Bible study:
- Read one verse and ponder it throughout the day
- Read one chapter of Psalms and Proverbs per day
- Read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
- Read one Old Testament and one New Testament book
- Highlight, journal and pray as you read
For a deeper dive, I wrote out my 8 simple tips for studying the Bible.
3. Practicing God’s Presence
When I was first practicing spending quiet time alone with God, I also began learning to practice His presence all day. This means I would talk to Him throughout the day and involve Him in my daily life.
I would talk to the Lord as I walked the hallways of my high school. I would also practice being aware of Him during my extracurricular activities like marching band or swim practice.
As a believer in Christ, God lives inside of us through the Holy Spirit, so He is not distant or somewhere far away.
4. Expecting to Hear God’s Voice
As I began to take small steps to seek the Lord, I also started to hear His voice and recognize His presence.
Let me start by saying that the Bible is the Word of God. God gave us His Word so we could know Him better and understand His character. Everything in the Scriptures is fully God inspired. However, God still speaks personally to us today, just as He did to the believers in the book of Acts, which was after Jesus ascended to Heaven.
When learning to hear and discern the voice of God, the main point to remember is that everything He speaks will line up with the Scriptures. He will never contradict His Word.
Hearing God’s voice: examples from my own life
- My first time hearing God. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart the exact words from a Bible verse.
- A change of perspective. One day I was pouring out my insecurities to the Lord about my visual impairment and how I thought I was defined by it. Suddenly, I heard the Holy Spirit’s whisper, “But you’re My daughter.”
- Encouragement before an exam. The day before my sophomore year English midterm exam essay, I discovered that a key on my laptop was broken. I needed that laptop to write the essay in class because I could not use the provided computers due to my vision loss. I stood over the laptop, and in my heart I cried out, “Lord!” I suddenly heard Jesus’ gentle whisper, “Trust Me, I’ll take care of you.”
- God’s interruption. One night, I was jamming out to music when right in the middle of a song I heard the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice. He said, “Turn the music off. Spend time with Me please.”
- Jesus’ wake up call. One morning as I was waking up, out of nowhere I heard Jesus say, “You can’t be afraid to speak My name.” This encouraged me to step out in ministry.
- The Father speaks. One morning during my senior year, the Father spoke to me while I was sleeping. He said, “Don’t turn from it to the left or to the right” (see Joshua 1:7). He was encouraging me to keep boldly sharing His Word.
- Other examples. God has dropped a song in my heart while waking up, and He has led me through an inward prompting where I either do or do not feel peace about a decision.
5. Do Not Wait Until Heaven
One day, during my junior year of high school, I was reading through the Scriptures when something caught my attention.
Jesus said in John 17:3 (NIV),
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
What really stuck out to me was the fact that Jesus said that the definition of eternal life is firstly knowing the Father and secondly knowing Him. I had previously thought that eternal life had to do with our future in Heaven, but Jesus defines it otherwise. This discovery fueled my passion for getting to know God here and now in my life on earth.
I would encourage you to seek God here and now. He has a great purpose for your life, and you will discover this as you seek Him and get to know Him personally. You are not too young to know God or be a blessing for His Kingdom. All He needs is your simple yes to Him.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I grow closer to God as a student?
Start with ten minutes alone with God before school: a little worship, honest prayer and a short Bible passage. Then practice His presence between classes by talking to Him through the day. Small consistent time built my entire relationship with God as a teenager.
How much time should I spend with God every day?
Start with an amount you can keep every day, even ten minutes. God honors small beginnings, and genuine hunger grows with faithfulness. My ten minutes before school grew into a lifestyle because it was consistent, not because it was long.
How do I know if God is speaking to me?
Whatever God speaks will always line up with the Bible, because He never contradicts His written Word. His voice tends to be gentle, specific and consistent with His character, like the whisper that reminded me I am His daughter. Test everything against Scripture and seek counsel from mature believers.
What if I miss a day of quiet time?
Grace, not guilt, keeps a relationship growing. Missing a day does not undo your closeness with God any more than missing one conversation ends a friendship. Simply return the next morning. Consistency over months matters far more than a perfect streak.
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