God created us with a natural desire for intimacy. We tend to crave it, along with a need for nurturing. Everyone wants to feel connected and safe! These feelings can come from another person, a special relationship, or maybe even an environment. People have a tendency to gravitate to those who “get” them. As trust is established, they feel comfortable sharing the deep parts of their life.
God desires an intimate relationship with us. The purpose of our life is to pursue Him and to develop a deep relationship so that we might be “one” with Him, just as He and the Father are one (Ref. Joh 17:21). The Word tells us, “God is Spirit” (Ref Joh 4:24); so how do we achieve intimacy with something that is purely spiritual? This is a struggle for our minds to comprehend because we may have a distorted view of the term.
Intimacy is defined as a close familiarity, friendship, a closeness that can be both physical and emotional [1]. The enemy loves to try and twist or distort our thinking to misrepresent the true meaning. His job is to steal, kill, and destroy as it says in Joh 10:10. If he can pervert our thinking of intimacy to only be sexual, it will skew our thinking.
If he can pervert our thinking of intimacy to only be sexual, it will skew our thinking.
We all have an intimate relationship either with friends, family, or even children. While there are different levels to these relationships, they are all parables or types and shadows of our relationship with God. If we have a distance or brokenness in one area of a relationship, it will affect how we view the Father and ultimately, our relationship with Him. If we struggle to connect and be vulnerable or be intimate with someone, how can we expect to truly connect with God the Father? As we read in the Psalms, David desired an intimate relationship with the Lord above all else. He knew he had to be vulnerable before Him in order to have that closeness, so he cried out, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts” (Psa 139:23).
True intimacy comes not only from connecting and bonding but also through trust. There must be a sense of security that is created. It is really a closeness that is forged in the hard places. The battles and trials that we face and overcome are what bring the closeness. James tells us to count all our trials that we meet as joy because the testing of our faith will produce steadfastness (Ref. Jas 1:2-3). If we don’t face trials and tribulations, we’ll never see what we possess inside. If we don’t go through tough times in our relationships, we won’t be able to grow and truly appreciate love, nor respect what we have.
You can see this with couples who have gone through hard times in their marriage. After years of learning how to persevere and overcome the battles, they’ve developed a deeper connection and closeness to one another. All pride, arrogance, and selfishness have to be put aside to truly love or forgive the other person. Soldiers who’ve been in battle will tell you they consider each other as “brothers in arms”. They’ve built a trust with each other, even to the point of life and death. [2]
So, how do we get close to God? Psalms 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know that I am God”. We have to wait on the Lord. It takes quieting our minds to the distractions and busyness around us so we can listen for His voice. “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” (Lam 3:25-26).
In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha was asking Jesus to rebuke her sister for not helping her serve. However, Jesus told her to stop being anxious and worried about those things, because Mary had chosen the better (Ref. Luk 10:38-42). He was saying, there is a time to do those things, but now is the time to listen and receive while you have the opportunity. “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while he is near” (Isa 55:6).
What better way to know the heart of the Father than to get into His Word.
What better way to know the heart of the Father than to get into His Word. We don’t want to read the Bible just for knowledge, but so we can truly understand His very heart and nature. This intimacy can only come when the veil is removed, we see past the letter, and understand the deeper, spiritual meaning in the scriptures. The Word becomes engrafted into our souls and we become transformed. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Co 3:18).
Closeness and intimacy do not come overnight. It takes a passionate pursuit. The prophet Jeremiah said, “You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13).
Just as you get to know anyone, you spend time finding out all about that person. The more you know about them, the more your relationship grows and you feel closer. The Word says we will know the Father through His Son, Jesus (Ref Joh 14:7).
It takes commitment! We have to press in when He seems distant. In His mercy, God allows us to go through the wilderness season to see if we will draw close to Him. We have to examine our hearts to see our true desires. God is looking for those who desire His presence. The Lord wants to reveal His love to all of us, but it’s up to each one of us to make the effort. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (Pro 25:2).
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (Pro 25:2).
When He calls us to Him, He wants all of us. We have to be seeking Him with all of our heart, not just a portion. Jesus said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mat 22:37). It takes a complete surrender! Allowing the Lord to strip away things that don’t matter and removing all idols from our life. Nothing will ever compare to God’s love! Nor will anything fill the void of an intimate relationship where we become one with Him.
References:
1. Oxford dictionary on Intimacy
2. https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/brothers-in-arms/
3. All scripture reference from NKJV, KJV or AMP Bible versions
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