Intimacy with God. The other morning, I heard God say these words to me. I mean, He literally woke me up out of my sleep and it kept repeating in my head. It was as if He wanted it to be ingrained in my mind. One thing I have learned is that when God takes the time to audibly speak something to you, it is of grave importance. Now, I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use some improvement in the area of spending clear uninterrupted intimate time with God.
Intimacy in Any Relationship
What exactly is intimacy with God and why is it important? What is the importance of intimacy in any relationship? This may sound simplistic to some but, to have a relationship, there has to be some type of relation with another person. The thing that connects the two together. It could be a common interest or goal. You could be a member of the same group, or you could even be related. Whatever the relation you have to this person, it is the basis for what type of relationship you have with them. Now all relationships are not created equal, but it is how most begin.
After the relation has been established, we then naturally begin to prioritize the importance of the relationship and how close of a relationship it will be. In any type of relationship, one first has to have some type of familiarity with the person in which they have a relationship with. You, or you and the other person determine how familiar the relationship will be. Now, ask yourself this question: Would I consider myself to be in a relationship with someone I knew nothing about? Probably not. You would want to at least know a few facts about the person before even deeming them an associate. The more you know about them and the more that you interact with them–the more you may be apt to call them a friend, a close friend, or even a best friend. The level of familiarity guides the prioritization of the relationship. This ultimately will determine how intimate of a relationship it will be. Most people generally don’t prioritize relationships in their lives when there is not much of a connection.
Intimacy itself denotes that you are very familiar with the other person and that you are in close contact with them. It means that you know who they truly are as a person. You know what excites them and disappoints them. You also know their likes and dislikes. You may not know everything about them, but you are willing to get close enough to find out the things you may not yet know. You are willing to spend the time getting to know. You are also willing to reciprocate and open yourself up for them to get to know you as well. The intimacy is an ongoing thing. You must connect often to keep the level of intimacy in its highest form.
For those of you who are married and have been married for a while, you know that you have to work to keep the level of your intimacy with your spouse at a consistent level, and that there is always room for growth. Sometimes we just get bogged down with life and realize that we have neglected to consistently connect with our spouse. You look up one day and realize, something feels a little different or just off. You have to reconnect to re-establish the level where you once were. Why? Because people are constantly growing and changing. You need to be able to connect with who they are in this season of your relationship, just as you did in previous seasons.
Intimacy with God Assures that I Can Survive Whatever Comes My Way
Your relationship with God is no different. We essentially have to follow the same guidelines of any close relationship. How can we say that we know Him if we never spend time with Him? How can we even differentiate between His Voice and someone else’s, including our own? Think about it, the more you are around someone, the more you can identify specific things about them. The way they look, their voice, their smell, their touch, their body language. So much so that you could probably do it with your eyes closed. God wants us to be so familiar with Him that we can recognize His presence at the drop of a hat. He wants us to connect with Him on a regular basis to keep the level of intimacy stable and on an upward trajectory. He wants us to be able to recognize what He is saying and doing in all seasons of our lives.
Remember I said earlier that people change and sometimes the connection seems off? With God, if the connection seems off it’s because we’ve changed, not Him. The Bible tells us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8 KJV). With Him, there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17 KJV). He doesn’t change. He can’t change. He is who He is, ALWAYS! If the connection feels off or even lost, we should look to see where we have shifted our priorities. It could be that we have neglected to make Him a priority in our lives on a regular basis, we have moved Him down on our priority list, or that we never really had an intimate relationship with Him to begin with.
If you find that your connection with God is not as it should be, it may be helpful to ask yourself some of these questions. How well do I know God? Who is He and what is He like? Does He speak to me and do I recognize His Voice? Do I know what pleases God? Do I know what angers Him? Do I know what His Will and His Purpose is for my life? When is the last time I connected with Him? It has been my experience that when I connect with Him on a regular basis, my outlook on my life experiences are a lot different than when I do not. I tend to be more at peace when things go awry, and trust me, they will.
My perspective is different because believe it or not, when the connection is there, often times God will forewarn me that things may not go as planned. He may show me that there will be opposition from the enemy or give me explicit instructions on how to handle what I am going through. Wouldn’t it be a blessing to know ahead of time that something is coming your way and if you follow the plan, you can come out of it unscathed? When I know His Character, His Thoughts and His Feelings towards me; then I know Him and His Will for my life. I know it is for me to prosper so that I, in turn may glorify Him. I have peace and direction in the midst of my trials, and I tend not to sweat the small stuff so much. That doesn’t mean that I don’t get bothered by things that may happen, but it does mean that I will not be moved in my faith. It means I can be assured that God will see me through whatever He allows to come my way.
On the flip side, when it has been a long time since I have connected with God in an intimate way, I am more inclined to question why things are going the way that they are. I may actually question where was God in that situation. I may become a little disturbed in my spirit and not quite sure where to turn for direction. This is all a result of wavering trust in God to see me through the situation, not knowing how He feels about me, or what His Will is for my life. This is actually no different in our intimate relationships with people. When the connection is not consistent and growing, doubt and mistrust can easily take root. These feelings are exactly what God is trying to avoid us having to experience. He doesn’t want us to ever feel like that He is unaware, doesn’t care, or hasn’t already made provision to see us through our situations. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 KJV-“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” He wants us to trust Him at all times, know that He has already determined the outcome of that situation and that it is for our good, and know that He doesn’t hold a spirit of malice against us. Regardless of what we have done or failed to do in our lives. All of this can be achieved through intimate time with Him.
Intimacy with God is Imperative to Live Your Best, Blessed-Filled Life
Intimacy with God is imperative to live your best, blessed-filled life as a child of God. It is calming to the spirit, and good for the soul. It is a two-way relationship between you and your Creator, between Father and child, so that you may receive love, instruction, encouragement, and protection throughout your life’s journey. Neglecting that intimacy, stunts the relationship and your growth. It can allow fear, anxiety, and worry to take up residence in our lives at times when we need God’s reassurance the most. I encourage you today to find time to spend intimate time with God. Even if you start with just a few minutes a day reading your Bible and getting to know His Character, or spending some time in prayer. Your life will be so much more enriched because of it! I know mine has been.
Be Blessed!
Nikki