One of my dearest friends recently got married. I have loved watching their relationship develop and how God was/is the center of their lives. We hosted a bachelorette party for her. I was approached by one of my other friends. She asked me if I would join her in giving a short devotional and that my topic would be on the importance of Intimacy with God in our lives. I agreed, I was at a lost on which way I wanted to go about it. After many weeks of praying and seeking this is what I ended up with. My prayer, is that God would use this to speak to your heart...
When the word intimacy is brought up, often the first
thought is sexual intimacy. There are many different facets of intimacy.
Merriam Webster defines Intimacy as “belonging to or characterizing one’s
deepest nature; marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity;
marked by a warm friendship developing through long association.
Let’s take a look at the first definition that I stated
above: “Belonging to or characterizing one’s deepest nature.” What is at the heart of belonging or
characterizing one’s self with? Trust is at the heart. We are the most
vulnerable and the true expressions of ourselves show when one has gained our
trust.
1 John 4:13-16 says: God has given
us His Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have
seen with our own eyes and now testify that the father sent his Son to be the
Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God
living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we
have put our trust in his love.
Our belonging or characterizing ourselves as believers in
Jesus isn’t just a blind faith. It is a decision to come into a relationship
with Jesus and to testify of His great love. That acknowledgement is the first
steps in intimacy with God.
Once someone becomes a follower of Jesus and has begun their
own relationship with Him that is when the second definition comes into focus:
“Marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity”. Intimacy develops from time spent. One will grow
closer to those who they spend the most time with.
“My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” –John 10:27
In those precious moments spent in His word and in His
company the depth of the relationship grows deeper.
“But for me it is good to be near
God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works”
–Psalm 73:28
This leads me to the last definition that I shared earlier:
“marked by a warm friendship developing through long association”. Association that is marked by His arms around
you as you weep, as you rejoice, and as you grow in your understanding of His
great love for you. It is a beautiful tapestry of moments spent with Him:
moments in the car, front porch, garden, on a walk, making breakfast, etc. I am
reminded of this verse:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can
you unless you abide in Me.” –John 15:4
In those every day moments if we abide in Him and He in us,
He will supply us with what is needed. Even in those moments that we don’t
think we will survive. He is there supplying the strength of the vine and
sending nourishment, only if we choose to stay abiding in Him.
However, there are times when we go through the valley and
we neglect to abide in Him. We rationalize to ourselves as to why we haven’t
had our devotional time and say things like: “I’ll do it tomorrow” “I am too
tired to do it right now” “I have so much on my plate right now, once I’m done
I’ll get back to my devotional time” and it goes on and on. This can be caused
by many things. Sometimes, there is a deeper root to our excuses; maybe the
root is in disappointment, unchecked sin, pride, etc. When the valley of
neglect arises in our lives we need to get back to abiding in Him as soon as we
realize that we are no longer abiding.
“For he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” -Psalm 1:3
Remember that each person’s relationship with the LORD looks
different for each person and mine will look different than yours. Here are
some ways that I have found to be effective ways to build my intimacy with the
Lord. We were created to have a relationship with God. He longs for us…
·
Be in His word (in a place that you feel
comfortable and able to focus)
·
Prayer (It doesn’t have to be fancy, just share
your heart and the condition it’s in)
·
Write (However that looks for you poems,
journal, blogs, etc)
·
Don’t hold back, share your thoughts trust Him
with your whole heart
·
Share what He has done in your life
·
Listen for His voice and when you feel Him
prompting you follow through
·
Just enjoy your time with Him, it isn’t a chore
it is a treasure
I ended with a poem I wrote titled Love:
He has found joy,
in me from the moment,
I was being formed,
in my mothers womb.
He was excited and
in awe as His
vision was becoming
His Beloved!
For from that very
Moment my God
My love of my life
knew me completely.
And planned on
Spending our time
Together away from
The distractions of
this world.
But I myself have
Become so insecure
That I think I’m
Nothing but a stranger.
For how can He
Want to spend time
With me, while there
Are Millions…
Wanting His attention
How can He see me?
I’m just in a sea of
Endless faces.
Faces that are hiding,
Who they truly are,
Faces who wont allow
Themselves to feel…
The emotions of
Their shattered heart
Thinking they have
To be strong and please
Those around them.
I’ve found being strong
And pleasing carries over
to my relationship with God.
For my alone time with
God is now me trying to
Please and prove
That I deserve His
Love.
The AMAZING
Thing is that
All that I’m trying
So hard to earn
Has been given to me
There is NO…
Making God love
Me any more or less
For He loves me
Completely anyway
Love…
Its not a feeling
Like we as humans
Define it to be
Instead Love is…
The definition of
Who my God is!
By. Stormy Dorsey
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