INTIMACY WITH GOD
Come near to God, and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8 (CEB)
Call to Me and I will answer and reveal to you wondrous secrets that you haven’t known.
Jeremiah 33:3 (CEB)
in-ti-ma-cy (n) close familiarity or friendship; closeness: the intimacy between a husband and a wife.
Our capacity to love is determined by our willingness to risk. It takes courage to allow ourselves to take that first step of vulnerability. It is also a great honor and responsibility to be entrusted with a person’s innermost person. God knows you better than a husband loves a wife. He knows you better than you know yourself. Nothing is hidden from His sight, yet He loves you enough to send His Son to take the penalty you deserve.
Does knowing that change your relationship with Him? For me, there’s an impulse to cover up my brokenness, but He tells me, You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you (John 15 NIV). All I can say is thank You, Lord! Gone are the days when I tried to impress Him with all kinds of good deeds and self-discipline. He sees right through it all, inviting me to come and sit at His feet with Mary, who has chosen the good portion (Luke 10:42 ESV).
This is what happens when we enter the prayer closet. We become conscious of our union with Him. In Ephesians 5, Christ is pictured as a bridegroom. True intimacy with Him happens behind closed doors. It is a beautiful thing between you and your Lord. It cannot be reduced to human language. Call to me, and I will answer, says the Prophet Jeremiah, and I will reveal to you wonderous secrets that you haven’t known. Jeremiah 33:3 (CEB). God wants to reveal Himself to a receptive bride. I will never forget how tenderly God revealed to me truths that I had not known before, which upended the trajectory of my plans. I am forever grateful for a God who cares enough to reveal Himself in the silence of my closet.
APPLICATION: Visualize yourself sitting before Jesus. Take whatever time you need to clarify the picture. What is Jesus doing? What is He saying to you? Whatever He says will align with the Scripture, but I believe He has something specific He would like to say to you.
PRAYER: Lord, I love You. I’m here ready to receive from You. I hold nothing back. Show me what it is You want me to know. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?