Intimacy with God

God doesn't want to be your morning/evening/Sunday companion. He didn't send Jesus for that. He sent His son to bring us closer to Him, that He can be a part of every detail of our lives. This is what is called intimacy.

Intimacy means “close familiarity or friendship; closeness. A private cosy atmosphere. Something of personal or private nature.”

There is a huge difference between intimacy and 'respect'. Have you ever tried to have a “casual friend” who would never allow you to be intimate with them? Or even a relative who you’ve been trying to close the boundaries with, and be closer to but they just keep pushing you away? You respect them and value their friendship, but you would never allow it to go beyond casual friendship? This is how many Christians are, with God. They respect Him and even fear Him, but have no intimacy with Him. They go to church on Sunday, give tithes and offerings, pray to Him, study His Word etc. but have no intimacy with Him. They just respect Him. They have put some boundaries between them and God, seeing Him as a “far away God.” This is not what God wants.

A good picture of the kind of relationship God wants with man is in the book of Genesis. God created man and was so close to Him that He and his wife knew the footsteps of God (Genesis 3:8, 10). Adam was so intimate with God that He knew His deepest needs, including one for a helper, and made him one without even him asking! (Genesis 2:18). He wanted this deep and intimate relationship to persist. Sin broke this intimacy. Sin equals to pride and rebellion. When sin came, the intimacy was lost and casualness crept in. Fear and 'respect' showed up in place of genuineness and openness, and Adam and Eve hid from God. God wants us to fear Him, not be afraid of Him. Fear results from knowledge of Who He is, being afraid results from guilt over wrong done.

After Adam, few men had intimate relationships with God, until Jesus came. One of them was Moses.

Exodus 33:7-22
Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. ⁸ So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. ⁹ And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. ¹⁰ All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. ¹¹ So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

¹² Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ ¹³ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

¹⁴ And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. ¹⁶ For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.” ¹⁷ So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

¹⁹ Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” ²⁰ But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” ²¹ And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. ²² So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. ²³ Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Exodus 34:29-35
Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. ³⁰ So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. ³² Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. ³³ And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. ³⁴ But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. ³⁵ And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.

Few points to note from the story of Moses:

1. There was a tabernacle of meeting. Everyone went into this tabernacle (verse 7), but it’s Moses’ relationship with God that made a difference. People watched Moses entering into the tabernacle (verse 8). You have to have a place of quiet meeting with God, a place where you spend time with God on a daily basis. It may be a common place where people go, but your time with God alone matters. It is not the place that matters, it is your relationship with God. The tabernacle was the same, but it’s Moses’ relationship with God that brought down the pillar of cloud and caused God to talk to Moses (verse 9). It is not the place that matters, it is the heart. Beyond that, you have to spend time with God through out the day. Please do not get in the trap of "bribing" God with an hour in the morning in the closet/prayer room, then neglecting Him the whole day. He'd rather you forfeit the hour in the morning, and spend the whole day fellowshiping with Him. Just as in human relationships, which spouse would love to spend just an hour a day with the other spouse, while they forget about them the whole day? In the same way, I believe God made it possible for us to fellowship with Him from wherever and whenever, so that we can spend unlimited time with Him, wherever we are (Jn. 4:23-24).

2. Others went to talk to God, but Moses talked with God (verse 9). God spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to a friend (verse 11). His relationship with God was so intimate that the children of Israel admired it. Intimate relationships are admirable by many.


3. Moses' relationship with God was so admirable and visible that it prompted others to worship (verse 10). No one needs to be told that a relationship is intimate, if it is we'll all see. Intimate relationships with God always attract and make people want to have the same. What are people seeing from your relationship with God? Does your relationship with God prompt people to worship, or push them away from God?


4. When Moses went into the tabernacle to worship, the pillar of cloud would descend (verse 9-10). This signified the glory of God. People who have intimate relationships with God are covered by His glory, and His presence is visible in their lives. Gradually or even suddenly even your countenance changes, and everybody is attracted to you: young, old, men, women, children etc. Once the glory of God covered Moses' face that it glowed, they couldn't even look at him and he had to cover his face with a veil (Exodus 34:29-35). It wasn't a one time thing, but eventually he had to keep His face covered with a veil. Intimacy with God changes your life competely.


5. Joshua wanted to grow his relationship with God, which is why he remained behind after Moses left the tabernacle/ tent of meeting (verse 11). This shows an intention and desire to spend more time with God, and grow his level of relationship with God. You have to desire more and make efforts towards growing your relationship. It doesn't come naturally/ automatically. Spend more time in His presence, seeking His face. Don't ever be satisfied with your level of relationship with God. Be contented with your relationship with God, but don’t be satisfied. Being contented will help you not seek after other things and just enjoy your relationship with God; not being satisfied will make you want to get deeper and deeper in relationship with God.


As we see from the above points, it is clear that Moses and God were good friends, and we can see this just from the way they spoke. How does someone man speak to a friend to suggest and exhibit intimacy?

There are several factors that characterize intimate friendship:

a. Time: Time grows friendship. Intimate friendship is characterized and made by time. Friends who do not have time for each other will never be intimate, or grow past the “casual” boundary. The more time invested, the stronger the relationship will be. Time away from each other erodes intimacy. An intimate relationship with God is enjoyable, just as a normal one is. In the presence of God there’s fullness of joy; so an intimate relationship with God means that you always walk with Him, and you’re always in His presence = joy at all times! Again, this is why Jesus said that worship will cease being limited to physical locations (mountain, Jerusalem), as the Father seeks such to worship Him, who worship Him in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:23-24). God is more interested in spending the whole day with you, than in just spending a few minutes or hours with you. Talk to Him wherever you are; let Him teach you how to work, study, serve, love, forgive, give and so on. He knows how to do what you want to do, and how to do it best. Don't shut Him out. Ask Him questions; let Him tell you jokes; thank Him; do what you would do with Jesus if He were with you in His physical body, with God, as we walk by faith, not be sight (2 Cor. 5:7).


b. Two-way Communication: Intimate friendship is characterized by a willingness to speak, and to listen. It is characterized by a swiftness to listen/hear, slowness to speak (James 1:19). There is a time to speak, and a time to listen. The more the communication, the stronger the relationship will be. Casual relationships are characterised by 'once in a while' communication. The more you communicate, the more you know each other, and trust each other. How's your communication with God? As much as God loves hearing you pray (1 Pet. 3:12, Rev. 5:8), He also loves it when you listen to Him. Good communication involves speaking, as well as good listening. Let Him speak to you in prayer, during the day, through music, through His Word as you spend time in it, and so on.


c. Trust: Trust is the boundary that, when broken, will take a casual friendship to intimacy level. Most people do not relate intimately because they do not trust each other. To relate with God intimately, you have to trust Him: that He is who He says He is, can do what He says He can do, and is willing to do anything to win your trust and be intimate with you. That He has your best interests at heart, no matter what He does or tells you to do. God wants the best for us, and will never hurt us. That's what a good and intimate partner does. He has your best interests at heart.


d. Genuineness: Casual friendship is superficial and hypocritical. Intimate relationships are characterized by total openness. You are hiding nothing from each other. This is what broke Adam and Eve's intimacy with God, when they started hiding their sin from God. No matter how deep the relationship is, hiding things from each other takes you back to casualness, until the time honesty will resume. Even when you sin, don't run away from God; run to God, as He understands your weaknesses, and wants to grant you mercy and grace for help in your time of need (Heb. 4:15-16). When you're weak, broken, tired, angry and so on, open up to Him and tell Him, and let Him strengthen, heal, relieve, comfort and cheer you up. As your Friend, He wants to be the first person you will run to whenever you need someone to talk to. Let the rest come later. The first person you run to in your hour of need always proves to be your closest friend; make God this Friend, and yes He may lead you to other people to heal and comfort you through them, but let it be that you ran to Him first.


e. Commitment: For every relationship to grow, there has to be mutual commitment and submission. Selfless sacrifice and determination to do whatever the other partner needs and whatever it will take to grow the relationship is what grows relationships. God wants us to give our all to the relationship, put His interests above ours, just like He did (Philippians 2:2-4). He wants us not to do anything out of selfish ambition, as long as we're in a relationship with Him. It calls for a death to pride and selfishness. He has already made the first move, are we willing to make the next move? (James 4:8). How committed are you to your relationship with God? Your time, energy, resources a direct reflection of how committed you are to your relationship with God. As I always say, you are as close to God as you want to be.


f. Love: It is next to impossible to have an intimate relationship with the absence of love. Love has to be mutual, and each party has to be aware of the others' love for them, besides loving them back. The more you're aware of God's love for you, the easier it will be to have an intimate relationship with Him. You can't love God if you don't know how much He loves you (1 John 4:19). Love is the life of intimacy. The difference between strangers and best friends is time put in, communication, trust, genuineness/ openeness and love. Love is as a result of all the four, and all 5 are constantly growing, complementing each other. Love isn't forced or pushed, it's intentional and deliberate. God can make you do all things, but can never and will never make you love Him. He has given you free will, and hopes for you to choose to love Him. Make a decision today to love Him more than anyone/anything else in the world, as He did to you. He has already made the first move; now He's waiting on you. It may be hard, but at least make that choice, and He will help you the rest of the way. All He needs is a "yes".


Don't shut Him out of some areas of your life. Evaluate yourself: which area of your life are you afraid of involving God? Is it your job? Relationship? Friends? Shopping? Fun time? Family? Whatever God is involved in becomes sacred, and is blessed. You not involving Him is futile as He knows everything and just wishes that you allowed Him to be a part of everything you do.

You are as close to God as you want to be. We all determine our level of relationship with God, God doesn’t. He says we draw near to Him, and He’ll draw near to us. It starts with us, though He has already made the first move (Jn. 3:16, Rom. 5:8). Determine to seek first His kingdom, and all other things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Delight in Him, and He will grant you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). When you’re close to God, you don’t have to worry about many things, as He is committed to cater them for you. Seek His face, not His hand. If you seek Him, He’ll be found by you (Matthew 7:7, Jeremiah 29:13). If you submit to Him and obey Him, then He’ll even fight your battles for you! (James 4:6-8).


In summary, how do you develop intimacy with God?

1. The Bible instructs us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18). I believe God doesn't like religious prayers (using big words, formality and hiding behind structured prayers). He's our Father, and which father would want their kids talking to them like they were talking to a dignitary? Talk to Him from the bottom of your heart, like you would a friend. Let Him know when you're angry, sad, happy, disappointed, irritated, moody, afraid, faithless, feel guilty, condemned, etc. Remember, He knows it already - so just let Him know -- it creates more intimacy and breaks formality with Him. Let Him know how you really feel. As I've pointed out, let God be your best friend, and the first person you tell things. When you do this, you'll find that you need less people in your life to confide in, since you've already discussed it with your Almighty n Powerful best friend. What happens to your stress-levels? They drastically go down! Don't get me wrong, I don't mean you need less people in your life. I mean when you get used to telling your friends your issues and not God, guess who takes up the place of God in your life -- your friends! Spend quiet as much time as you can with Him on a frequent basis, as much as you can. Talk to Him about your friends, family, job, everything and anything. Make Him part and parcel of your life. Your prayer means a lot to God: "The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]." James 5:16b. (You are righteous by virtue of what Christ did, not by virtue of what you do or not do.)

2. Constantly interact with His Word. His Will is His Word, and His Word is His Son (John 1:1-3,14). Spend time in His Word, not as a routine but as a necessity, something you can't do without. Start with a few verses or a chapter a day, but do it thoroughly, and meditate on it throughout the day. Ask Him to commune with you and reveal Himself to you through His Word. Take your time. He delights in us when we desire to know Him (James 4:8), and He will reveal Himself to us. Allow the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, to interpret the scriptures for you. Memorize a verse a day, so that you can have the Word implanted in your heart (Ps. 119:11, Jas. 1:21). The enemy isn't bothered much by the Word that is read casually and out of obligation, but that which is meditated on and implanted in your heart. How much Word is implanted in your heart?


3. Consult with Him in every area of your life. Ask His Spirit, who is always with you, for guidance even for simple stuff such as, "What should I wear today?" "Is this person telling the truth?" "Is it wise to buy this thing?" "Should I carry an umbrella today?" "Is this movie worth my time?" Remember, whether you acknowledge the truth or not, it doesn't cease from being the truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and His work is to lead us to all truth (John 16:13). Acknowledge Him, learn to recognize and listen to His voice. He's our Helper, make use of Him. Imagine me hiring you a helper and realizing you do everything on your own, and don't make use of Him. Jesus paid for the Helper (by His life), so I believe it hurts Him when we don't make use of Him!

Always keep in mind that Jesus didn't die for you to have a religion, but for you to have a close and personal, intimate relationship with His Father, like Adam and Eve had before they sinned. Don't be comfortable with half the package (accepting Christ and waiting to go to Heaven); go for the real deal (walking with God and enjoying a loving close Father-child relationship). Don't be content with the gift wrapper, go for the real gift!!!

Blessings.


-- Sam Gitonga.



Sunday Service Sermon, Teaching Transformation Ministry.

Brother Sam is the Youth Leader at Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./ Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.