for intimacy
One word picture for the intimacy we are asking for with Him is to seek His face. We contrast seeking God’s face to seeking the works of His hands, which paints a picture of longing for intimacy with God for its own sake, rather than seeking God for what he can do for us. Tommy Tenney asks, “how long has it been since your hunger caused you to crawl up in His lap and, like a child, reach up and take the face of God to turn it toward you? Intimacy with Him! That’s what God desires, and His face should be our highest focus… Intimacy will bring about “blessing” but the pursuit of ‘blessing’ won’t always bring about intimacy.”
Intimacy with God for us means to approach God with an honest vulnerability. If we feel sad, then tell Him. If we feel confused, tell Him. If we feel angry or disappointed with God, tell Him. The Psalms themselves record a wide range of emotional honesty containing feelings of fear and bitterness to joy and thankfulness, and should be an encouragement for all of us seeking intimacy with God to bring all those emotions with us. The key is an honest vulnerability. Often times we are not honest with God because we have not been honest with ourselves as to our feelings about ourselves, our relationships, and our lives in general. Sometimes, this will take a bit of intentional introspection. Our ability to articulate our feelings to ourselves or another person is often an integral part of emotional honesty since sometimes just discovering the right word to describe our feelings allows everything else to fall into place.
We are not only seeking for our hearts to be known, but also to know God’s heart. We are asking God, “How do you feel about all of these feelings and things going on in my life?” and “What is on your heart right now, what are you most concerned with?” Often as we seek this type of intimacy, God’s voice is crowded out by the many voices, coming from ourselves, church, and from the world’s sermons. We may have a bit of understanding of what God’s heart toward these things are, but clarity needs to come from the Bible. We ask, “What does God’s word have to say about this?” When we approach the Bible in search of God’s heart, we can keep this principle in mind: “All Scripture is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). This is where our search for truth will bring us to revelation.
Another part of intimacy with God is desiring His presence in our lives. We may have a desire to be in His presence, but too often we are content to worship Him from the outer courts of praise. We only want a little taste of God, enough to get us through the week, to feel at peace with Him. But Jesus did not die so that we would know him from the outer courts; he died so that we might enter into the Holy of Holies. Our desire needs to be for more than an atmosphere of His presence, our desire needs to be to step behind the veil and to behold the Glory of God. We are limited only by our capacity for Him. Desire is that one dimension of capacity that increases measurably when we seek Him, renew our minds, and even ask God for more desire for Him.
Observation - Do you desire intimacy with God?
Understanding - How will a passion for intimacy with God impact my day-to-day?
Application - Spend time today to just listen for what God might want to say to you.
