Intimacy With God and Man - part IV

How do we pursue intimacy with God?

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)  The foundation for our relationship with God is Jesus. One must accept Jesus as Savior. In doing so, we have the privilege of entering into relationship with not only Jesus, but also the Holy Spirit and God.  From here, there are three broad ways in which we can pursue intimacy with God. The first way is through conversation.  

Talk to and Listen to Him

TALK! We can talk to God in many ways: through prayer, singing, meditating, etc. We each will develop our own unique ways in which we communicate with God. Speaking to Him can be as formal as it would be with respected leaders or as relaxed as it would be with a trusted friend. Here are some things to remember when talking with God:

-        Be honest. There is nothing that the Lord does not already know about us (see Psalm 119, Matthew 10, & Luke 12) but intimacy increases when we are willing to let God know us. Emphasis here is on our willingness. Yes, God knows. But are you willing to pursue relationship with Him enough to risk putting it all out there with Him? Are you willing to share out loud (either literally or figuratively) those deep, dark secrets? To own all of who you are? Remember we talked about exposing our good, bad, and ugly? This is what we are talking about with being honest. Can we permit ourselves a level of honesty WITH OURSELVES that allows us to be fully honest with God, and “let” Him know us?

-        Be open. Share anything and everything with God.  God is always with us and He is never too busy to listen to us.  He is your Father and He cares. He loves when His children open up to Him and invite Him into their lives.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23

-          Be humble. When approaching the sovereign God of the universe, remember that He is Holy. Humble yourself and seek to know Him.

And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.’” Isaiah 6:3

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way” Psalm 25:9

Because you have relationship with His Son Jesus, you may approach God boldly (Hebrews 4:16), honestly, and with confidence, knowing that He hears and cares. “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12

LISTEN! God speaks to us. A few ways in which He does this are through His word (the Bible), through His Spirit living in us, through other people, in nature, and through our circumstances.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Some ways that we can fine tune our hearing include studying the Bible, meditating on His words, listening for His “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-13), and listening for Him to respond to our prayers as we pray. God, by His Spirit, can direct us gently and respond to us as we speak to Him.

 
“Honest sharing and listening” (Boone) is a critical piece of the puzzle for building intimacy with God. The same way that you would spend time talking with a friend, talk with Him. I promise, He will respond.