What Is Intimacy With God?
In Psalm 63, NIV, the psalmist expresses a heartfelt longing and pursuit of God, declaring Him their sole source of satisfaction and fulfillment. The imagery of thirst and longing in a dry and parched land conveys a profound desire for communion with God in the midst of spiritual barrenness and adversity.
Through this lens, intimacy with God can be understood as a deep, personal relationship characterized by earnest seeking, longing, and dependency on Him for sustenance, nourishment, and satisfaction of the soul’s deepest needs.
It involves an intimate connection transcending mere religious observance or ritual, encompassing a genuine, passionate pursuit of God’s presence, fellowship, and communion.
What blocks Intimacy With God?
In Isaiah 59, NIV, we see the prophet addressing the moral and spiritual condition of the Israelites. The chapter begins with a depiction of the people’s sinfulness, describing how their sins have created a separation between them and God. It highlights various forms of wrongdoing, including injustice, violence, lying, and rebellion against God’s laws. These sins are portrayed as causing darkness and distress, hindering the people from experiencing God’s presence and blessings.
We understand that the themes presented in Isaiah 59 are not limited to the historical context of ancient Israel but also apply to humanity as a whole. The passage reveals that sin acts as a barrier to intimacy with God. When individuals engage in sinful behavior, it disrupts their intimate relationship with Him, leading to spiritual distance and estrangement.
Furthermore, Isaiah 59 underscores the need for repentance and reconciliation and emphasizes the importance of addressing sin and seeking forgiveness to restore intimacy with God.
Related Reading: How To Build A Relationship With God
How can I start to experience intimacy with God?
Step 1: Seek God
Seeking intimacy with God, as portrayed in Psalm 63, entails wholeheartedly pursuing a deeper relationship with Him. This pursuit involves regular prayer, meditation on His Word, worship, and a continuous effort to invite His presence into every aspect of our lives. Embracing humility and a genuine desire to know Him more intimately are essential components of seeking God, as is a willingness to surrender to His will.
Why we don’t seek God?
It’s easy not to. We can get so caught up focusing on our problems, work, kids, relationships, and to-do lists that we miss seeking Jesus. The busyness and distractions of daily life can often overshadow our desire to seek God.
Additionally, societal pressures, cultural norms, and personal doubts or fears may hinder our pursuit of a close relationship with God. Often, we may feel overwhelmed by our circumstances or believe that we can handle things on our own, leading us to neglect seeking God’s guidance and presence in our lives.
Step 2: Long For God
After seeking God, Psalm 63 tells us we must long for God. Longing for God is cultivating a deep desire and yearning for His presence and fellowship.
It involves recognizing our need for Him and acknowledging that nothing in this world can satisfy us like He can. Longing for God means prioritizing Him above all else in our lives and seeking Him wholeheartedly.
We express our longing for God through prayer, worship, and meditation on His Word. It’s about continually turning our hearts and minds toward Him, seeking to know Him more intimately, and experiencing His love and grace.
Why we don’t long for God?
What stops us from longing for God often boils down to the idols we have in our lives. These idols can take many forms, such as wealth, success, relationships, or even our own abilities and achievements.
We trust in these things to bring us security, fulfillment, and happiness rather than trusting in God alone. When we prioritize these idols above our relationship with God, our longing for Him diminishes, and our hearts become divided.
Instead of seeking God’s kingdom first, as Jesus taught us, we chase after worldly pursuits, believing they will satisfy us. However, these idols ultimately disappoint and leave us empty. Only when we recognize these false gods for what they are and turn our hearts back to God can we experience true intimacy with Him.
Step 3: Find Dependency In Him
Creating a dependency on God starts with acknowledging our need for Him in every aspect of our lives. We recognize that we are limited and imperfect beings and that only God can provide the strength, guidance, and fulfillment we crave.
We cultivate dependency by prioritizing our relationship with God above all else, seeking His presence through prayer, meditation on His Word, and worship.
We surrender control and trust in God’s wisdom and sovereignty, allowing Him to lead and direct our paths. As we rely on God daily for our needs and lean on Him in times of trouble, our dependency on Him deepens, and our intimate relationship with God grows stronger.
Why we don’t depend on God?
Our desire for control and self-sufficiency often stops us from depending on God. Dependency on God can feel uncomfortable because it requires us to acknowledge our limitations and surrender our will to His.
It can create a sense of helplessness, which goes against our natural inclination to be in control of our lives. Additionally, depending on God requires patience, as His timing and plans may not align with our own. This can be challenging in a world that values instant gratification and quick results.
Lastly, depending on God means obeying His will rather than our desires and preferences, which can be contrary to human nature. However, when we overcome these obstacles and choose to depend on God, we experience His faithfulness, provision, and guidance.
What scriptures talk about intimacy with God?
Several Scriptures discuss intimacy with God, reflecting the deep and personal relationship believers can have with the divine. Here are a few examples:
- Psalm 63 – This passage describes the psalmist’s longing for God and the intimacy experienced in seeking and praising Him.
- James 4:8 – James encourages believers to draw near to God, promising that He will draw near to them, highlighting the reciprocal nature of intimacy with God.
- John 15:4-5 – In this passage, Jesus Christ uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to illustrate the intimate connection believers have with Him and the necessity of remaining in Him for spiritual nourishment and fruitfulness.
- Ephesians 3:17-19 – Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers emphasizes the depth of intimacy with God, rooted in love and filled with the fullness of God.
These Scriptures, among others, offer insight into the various aspects of intimacy with God, including seeking Him, drawing near to Him, abiding in Him, and experiencing His love and presence.
What scriptures talk about intimacy with the Holy Spirit?
Several scriptures discuss the Holy Spirit in the context of intimacy with God:
- John 14:16-17 – Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, referred to as the Advocate or Comforter, who will dwell with believers forever. This indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit signifies a deep intimacy and communion with God.
- Romans 8:26-27 – Paul describes how the Holy Spirit helps believers in their weakness and intercedes for them with groanings too deep for words. This highlights the intimate relationship between believers and the Holy Spirit, who understands and communicates their innermost needs to God.
- Galatians 4:6 – Paul writes that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” This reflects the intimacy of the relationship between believers and God, facilitated by the presence of the Holy Spirit within them.
These scriptures demonstrate that the Holy Spirit plays a central role in fostering intimacy and communion between believers and God, guiding, comforting, and interceding for them in their relationship with the Father.
How do you build spiritual intimacy?
Growing in intimacy with God involves nurturing a deep and closer relationship with Him, facilitated by the Holy Spirit. Here are some key steps:
- Seek God Diligently: You can earnestly seek God through prayer and meditate on His Word. Make spending time with Him a priority in your daily life.
- Worship God: Worshipping God involves prayer, praise, and service. Through prayer, we communicate with God while praising Him through song and scripture. Serving others and living holy lives are also forms of worship, honoring God with your whole being!
- Eliminate Idols: Identify and remove anything that competes with your devotion to God. This includes worldly distractions, sinful habits, and misplaced priorities, which hinder our ability to experience intimacy with Him.
- Cultivate Obedience: When we love God we can start to surrender our will to God’s will and obey His commands. This requires humility, trust, and submission to His leading, even when it contradicts your own desires.
- Embrace the Holy Spirit: Welcome the Holy Spirit into your Christian walk as your Helper, Comforter, and Guide.
- Practice Spiritual Disciplines: Engage in disciplines such as fasting, solitude, and silence, which foster intimacy with God. These practices help quiet the world’s noise and create space for profoundly encountering God.
- Seek Community and Accountability: Surround yourself with fellow believers who encourage and support your spiritual growth. Participate in a community of faith where you can share experiences, pray together, and hold each other accountable.
By incorporating these principles into your life, you will experience greater intimacy in your relationship with God. By continually seeking after God with passion and perseverance, you will start to draw closer to God’s spirit, experience God’s power, and live a transformed life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developing intimacy with God is a journey marked by seeking Him wholeheartedly, longing for His presence, and cultivating dependency on His guidance and provision.
As we delve into passages like Psalm 63 and Isaiah 59, we discover the significance of seeking God earnestly, longing for His presence with a deep thirst, and recognizing the barriers that hinder our intimacy with Him.
These barriers include our tendency to trust in ourselves and worldly idols, our reluctance to relinquish control and embrace dependency on God, and our impatience in waiting for His timing and plan to unfold.
However, by acknowledging these obstacles and surrendering ourselves to God’s will, we open the door to experiencing His unfailing love, grace, and faithfulness in our lives. May we continue to seek, long for, and depend on God, knowing that true intimacy with Him brings fulfillment, peace, and purpose to our souls.
