Intimacy With Godনমুনা

We Are Created For Intimacy with God

So, let’s review what we’ve covered so far:

• Intimacy is a relationship built through the bond and trust between two persons. Check.
• Intimacy is not something we have to stir up for ourselves because we have been innately created for it. Check.
• Intimacy was God’s perfect idea at creation. Check.

Intimacy is also about the relationship between us and God… let’s get into that today!

Well, dear friend, the short version is that everything mentioned above also applies to our relationship with God. Besides intimacy between human beings, scripture also shows us that God desires to have intimacy between Himself and His creation – us.

One of the unique features God designed at creation was the Garden of Eden, where He placed man (Genesis 2:8). It was here in this Garden that man had the honour of being in the presence of God, of walking with Him, and of having deep, personal conversations with God. Sadly, this unique bond and trust between God and man was broken when man sinned against God, which resulted in them being driven out of the Garden, away from God’s presence (Genesis 3:22-24). Yet despite this failed experience in the Garden, God didn’t give up on having intimate relationships with people throughout the Bible: think of the lives of Abraham, Moses, and David in the Old Testament. And then, in the New Testament, God established the same form of intimate relationship with the disciples through the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection. Dear friend, God still longs to have an intimate relationship with us today.

But what does this kind of intimate relationship with God look like?

What I believe is most important for us to recognise is that this kind of relationship with God is a two-way pursuit. It’s as much about us pursuing God as it is about God pursuing us. Let’s first return to our definition from yesterday: intimacy is “marked by the consensual sharing of deeply personal information… Intimates reveal themselves to one another, care deeply about one another, and are comfortable in close proximity”.

Dear friend, see how mutual, consensual, and reciprocated an intimate relationship is. It’s the same with our relationship with God. A lot of the time, our relationship with God can feel like a one-way pursuit. We are the ones worshipping Him, listening to messages about Him, praying to Him, and revealing ourselves to Him. But in actual fact, God is also pursuing us, revealing Himself to us, and deeply caring about us. Many of us may be living our lives in this one-way pursuit without realising that God wants us to know that He is also pursuing a relationship with us.

So, my question for you today is twofold: are you pursuing intimacy with God, and do you know that God is also pursuing intimacy with you?

Let's Reflect
Consider this two-way pursuit between you and God. What impact does it have on you knowing that God is pursuing you, that He desires to reveal Himself to you, and that He cares deeply for you?

Prayer

Lord God,

I want to have an intimate relationship with You, and to know that it is mutual – that You are also pursuing me, wanting to reveal Yourself to me, and that You love me deeply.

Show me who You are, Lord, that I may know You more. Reveal to me Your great love for me, which is enduring and faithful. Tell me Your thoughts towards me through Your Word, that they may edify and comfort me.

In Jesus’ name, amen.