How To Find Intimacy With God

Who do you think of when you hear the phrase “The Greatest Love Story ever told”? 

Is it Snow White and Prince Charming?  Romeo and Juliet? Cleopatra and Mark Antony? Lancelot and Guinevere? Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip? Or from the great classic tv show “The Honeymooners”, Ralph and Alice Kramden.

You may picture the riding off into the sunset, pledging their undying love, willing to die over their forbidden love or simply the jabs, sarcasm and arguing that “one of these days To the Moon, Alice! to the moon!”, followed up with loving hugs and kisses.

But do you see yourself having the Greatest Love story ever told?

Well in this episode, I am going to share with you how your relationship with God can be the greatest love story, and what it takes to have an intimate relationship with God; in Episode 51 of “The 318 Project.”

Hello, I'm Ryan Hare and welcome to the 318 Project. 

Now I started off by asking about a few couples. Some are real life couples and others are either fairy tales or characters from a tv show. Each one of the couples had a different type of relationship, but there was an underlying deep love and care that was shown. It ranged from the fairy tale ending, a marriage that lasted over 70 years, a forbidden love that ended in suicide, to a tv couple that argued and fought with empty threats of physical harm (that never happened) and them ending each episode always loving and caring for each other. 

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. And that is how I picture John sitting there just listening to the heartbeat of Jesus.

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. It is in those times that He will encourage, strengthen, heal, or even correct us. Many times it is just that embrace that takes all of our fears and worries away and gives them to Him. Jesus said in Matthew 11 verses 28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

God wants each of us to bring those things that weigh us down and place them at His feet and rest in His peace and comfort.

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 loves you and me.

This is best represented in the verse everyone knows in John 3:16. It says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” But in verse 17 it goes on to say “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”

That is the agape love that God has for each of us that He was willing to sacrifice His Son, Jesus, for the sins of the entire world throughout all time. 

Paul told the Christians in Rome in Romans 5 verse 8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In 1 John 4 verse 16 says “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in Him.”

James even said in Chapter 4 verse 8 “ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”And that is the greatest love story that each of us can have when we have a close intimate relationship with God and Jesus. When we get close to them in our prayer time, praise and worship, devotion and even outreach to help others; that is when God pours out Him Agape love in us and when others see our love story with Christ it will draw them to want to have an intimate relationship with Him also. 

So as I close, I want to encourage you to take the time and ask yourself, “Can I hear the heartbeat of God the Father?” If you are unsure, then take that time to get away to a place where you won’t be distracted and seek Him and press in to hear from Him and hear what His heart is saying to you.

I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode today and I want to encourage you to like, subscribe and share it with others so that they may be blessed and encouraged and as always I want you to have a blessed and wonderful day.