Intimacy with the Lord

What is intimacy?
It is close familiarity or friendship with someone; it is the
experience of really knowing and being known by another person
without any secret between them. An intimate friend is someone
we feel very close to; they know us at a deep level.
English dictionary defined intimacy as feeling or atmosphere of
closeness and openness towards someone else, not necessarily
involving sexuality.
Intimacy with the Lord therefore, is having a spiritual oneness that
is not based on the physical senses because God is a spirit (Jn
4:24) and we must relate with him in the spirit.
God has a specific purpose for creating us and that purpose is to
have a relationship with him. The Lord designed mankind in his
image and likeness (Gen 1:26) and gave us a spirit that can relate
and communicate with his spirit.
The first step in our desire for intimacy with the Lord is getting to
know Him (Phil 3:10)who He is, what He does, how He thinks,
and what He desires. Even though God is invisible and inaudible
to our physical senses, a close relationship with Him is cultivated
the same way human friendships arethrough time spent
together, communication, and shared interests.
Secondly, we must trust him. What makes us feel intimate with
another person? Trust, it is the heart of intimacy. The more we
trust someone, the closer we let them get to us. The degree to
which trust is compromised in a relationship is the degree to
which intimacy evaporates. This is as true in our relationship with
God as it is in our relationships with other human beings. Our
experience of Gods nearness or distance is not a description of
his actual proximity to us but of our experience of intimacy with
him. Scripture shows us that God is intimate with those who trust

him (Ps 78:23, James 4:8). The more we trust God, the more
intimately we come to know him. A felt distance from God is often
due to a disruption in trust, such as sin or disappointment.
How can I experience intimacy with the Lord?
(1)
Stay away from sin; our God is a righteous God (Ps
145:7), God cannot have any intimacy with an evil
Christians. God will never draw near to those who do not
draw near to Him, and the way we draw near is through
righteousness (James 4:8, Prov 6:16-20).
(2)
Spend time with God; in other to achieve closeness with
the Lord, we need to invest time and effort in getting to
know Him. A neglected relationship cannot grow in richness
or depth. If we are too busy to spend time each day with
God, we are simply robbing ourselves of eternal treasure;
that of having a deep and satisfying communion with God
(Matt 6:6)
(3)
Communicate; there must be a two-way communication
with the Lord through prayer and his word, those are the
most obvious ways to become better acquainted with Him.
But often times, our prayers are monologues rather than
dialogues. We come to Him with our list of concerns, but do
not take time to listen for His response? Although God
delights in hearing our prayers, He also wants us to be still
and listen to Him. Since He also speaks to us primarily
through His Word, thats where we will most likely hear His
voice. We should try to interact with the Lord by praying as
we read Scripture. Meditating on His words and asking Him
questions. (Jer 29:12, Ps 145:18)
(4)
Willingness to be open and honest; No aspect of our life
should be hidden from God; we must exposed every area of
our lives to the Lord. No one can be forced into an intimate
friendship with God. In fact, the depth of this relationship is
limited by the extent of our transparency with Him. Although
the natural response is to shrink from such vulnerability, we

need to remember that He already knows us inside and out

and loves us more than we can comprehend. Jer 1:5, Ps 139
(5)
Be obedient; Jn 15:4. We cannot claim intimacy with
Christ if our life is marked by disobedience rather than
submission to Him. Those who refuse to obey Christ as Lord
cannot claim to know Him as a friend.
(6)
Have faith in Him; Heb 11:6, God is impressed with our
faith, not our feats. Where faith is lacking, he is not pleased
with the quantity/quality of our knowledge.
Benefits of being intimate with the Lord.
(1)
Transformation; No one can have an intimate
relationship with God and remain unchanged. As we begin
to understand who He is, our love for Him grows and
motivates us to radical obedience. Our experience with Him
teaches us that He is faithful and can be trusted. Rm 12:2,
Eph 2:13.
(2)
Fulfillment, it is only through His love that we can find
fulfillment that no human can provide. (Matt. 22:37-38)
(3) Preparation for Heaven. One day every believer is going to

meet with the Lord. He should not be a stranger to us. The

greatest investment we can make in this life is to have a
deep personal relationship with Him. Jn 17:3