Deeper: Developing Deeper Intimacy With GodSample

Seek God Wholeheartedly

In our pursuit of deeper intimacy with God, we must truly desire to seek God for God and not the benefits or blessings associated with God. Everyone loves to quote the infamous Jeremiah 29:11 for the purpose and the plan it promises, but Jeremiah 29:13 shows that the Lord is found after seeking Him with all of our hearts. Psalm 24:3-4 says that only those with clean hands and pure heart may stand in His holy place. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first.

I point out all of these scriptures to show you that our pursuits of God must be pure. We cannot treat God like a genie in a bottle. This means that we only go to God when we want something from God. Exposing the manipulative nature of our hearts can reveal just how messed up our relationship with God is.

When was the last time you studied, worshipped on your own, or spent time with God, not to lead a Bible study or because your church required it, but just because you wanted to spend time with Him? You wouldn’t want a friend that only calls on you when they need something, would you? So let’s not treat God, who calls us friends, that way either.

As Psalm 42:1 describes, we must become as desperate for God as a deer panting for water. We must remember that it is in Him that we live, move, and have our being. Developing intimacy requires intentionality and, dare I say, desperation. Since God was and is intentional with us, we should be intentional with God. When we are desperate for God, we truly seek him. The Greek word for "seek" from Matthew 6:33 means “to crave or to strive after.” Developing deeper intimacy with God comes when we crave His presence more than anything.

I’m ultimately encouraging you to remember that our pursuit of God must be more God-centered than blessing-centered. God is good because He is God and because of what He did by sending His son Jesus to die for our sins. The intimacy we desire is found when we seek Him with our whole hearts, not for blessings or assumed benefits, but truly for Him.