You and I have seen so many types of relationships and the different ways men and women have shown love for each other. Some have been healthy relationships and marriages that worked, while there have been harmful ones where the man or woman felt that even though it was a hostile environment that they needed to stay; or did leave the relationship because of a bad situation.
How do you view your relationship with God? Or do you have a full understanding of the relationship that God wants to have with you?
Many people would view it as a hard discipling Father that wants to punish you when you mess up and sin. Others see Him as a passive Father that just created the universe and then just left it alone. Maybe you see it as to how your mother and father were to you or to each other?
But, do you know that God wants to have a deep and intimate relationship with each and every person.
When you think of intimacy, is it usually in that close personal relationship with your spouse in bed.
The definition of intimacy is a close friendship, a deep knowledge of a subject, a private atmosphere, or closeness to someone or something.
This can be stated in having an intimate knowledge of details about a person, place or event like sports statistics or movie quotes. Maybe it is being in a nice, quiet and romantic place or simply being close to someone such as holding, embracing or hugging someone.
The word “Intimacy” itself isn’t mentioned in the Bible, but God did show us how He wants to have an intimate relationship with Him.
There are several examples of intimate friendships that weren’t of a sexual nature in the Bible. There was the love that Jonathan and David had for each other as mentioned in 1 Samuel chapter 18. Then we see in the New Testament how John was called “The Beloved One” and we see him at the Last Supper with his head resting on the chest of Jesus. Both of these are examples of an intimate and caring friendship.
But something with John stood out to me when it said he rested his head on the chest of Jesus. Think about your marriage or relationship and when your spouse is lying beside you and lays their head on your chest. At that moment their ear is next to your body and depending on which side, over your heart they can hear your heart beating.
That is what God is wanting from each of us. He wants you and I to draw close to Him and hear what His heart is saying to each of us. That is the moment of intimacy that we can truly have with God.
The word “Love” is mentioned the most times in the book of Psalms.
Why is that?
Maybe ,because David spent so much time with God in prayer while he was out in the fields watching the sheep that he had those intimate moments with God and even mentioned as “A man after God’s own heart”
How was that even when David stumbled and fell, made mistakes that God still called him that. It was because of those close personal times in prayer and worship.
Dr. Cole said that “Prayer produces intimacy. You become intimate with the one for whom you pray, with whom you pray and to Whom you pray.”
When we get in a place that you and I can focus and not allow the distractions of the world around us to interfere, then we can truly get into the presence of God and have those intimate times with Him.
In Psalms, each time the word “Love” was mentioned it was preceded by the word “faithful” or “unfailing”. When you read about the greatest type of Love that is mentioned it is called “Agape”, which means unconditional love. And that is how God showed us His love. It is that unconditional, faithful and unfailing love that even when we fall, mess up or even walk away from Him, that He still love