Hey God, Can We Talk? I Want to Be Closer to Youနမူနာ

Day One: Why Should We Cultivate Intimacy with God?

When I look at Abraham’s intimacy with God it provokes me. What did Abraham’s very deep, fulfilling, effective, and connected walk with God look like? The best place to see this relationship in action can be found in Genesis 18. This chapter is very compelling, particularly in light of the con­versation that transpires between God and Abraham. This conversation starts when God shows up at the door to Abra­ham’s tent, and Abraham invites Him to stay for a meal. This level of intimacy brought about three things: access, vulnerability, and participation. 

Intimacy Begets Access

When God showed up at the door of Abraham’s tent, Abraham was very excited to make a meal for God, to spend time in conversation, and to cultivate an even stronger, connected relationship. Abraham’s intimacy with God, which he had been faithful to cultivate for many years, was instrumental in God coming to have dinner with Abraham. And when God showed up for dinner, Abraham and Sarah went to great lengths to lay down a feast for Him (verses: 6-8). They prepared to have some wonderful connection time. The feast would facilitate conversa­tion, vulnerability, participation, and connection. 

Intimacy Begets Vulnerability

At the end of the meal, God brought up a very sensitive and dicey subject with Abraham—Sarah’s infertility. Despite Sarah’s best efforts and resourceful scheming, she was not able to give Abraham a child. This caused fric­tion and angst in their marriage (see Genesis 16:4-5). God stepped into this tender subject when He told Abraham that Sarah would get pregnant and bear a child in the next year, even though she was past the childbearing years and was in disbelief.

I find this conversation between God and Abraham intriguing and appealing because the willingness to discuss a vulnerable topic reveals an intimacy that God had with Abraham. When we are close to God, we can be vulnerable and have conversations about sensitive subjects, allowing God to step into those situations, similar to God stepping into Abraham and Sarah’s infertility. 

Intimacy Begets Participation

Not only did God and Abraham converse about the ten­der subject of Sarah’s upcoming pregnancy, but God also talked with Abraham about His concerns and possible plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. In this conversa­tion, Abraham dared to challenge God about His decision for these cities based on His character.

This conversation about Sodom and Gomorrah contin­ues with Abraham pressing God to answer his challenge with fewer and fewer numbers of righteous people in these cities. Ultimately, the conversation with God concludes with Abraham asking God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there are ten righteous people to be found in these cities. God agrees with Abraham’s request (verse 32).  

So how did Abraham grow into such a deep relationship with God that he could intercede with Him on behalf of some very wicked cities? What did their conversations entail that could facilitate such a close connection? If we want to have deep and intimate conversations with God, what would the incre­mental steps look like at the beginning of the relationship? Thankfully, we can read about the growing intimacy that Abraham had with God through some very interesting con­versations in Genesis 15 and 17. In these chapters, we see that Abraham made decisions to grow closer with God through his conversations and actions. We will look at those two chapters in the coming days of this plan. 

Reflection: Based on today’s reading, what are some actions and decisions you could make to deepen your intimacy with God?