Intimacy with God

Intimacy is a word that makes me uneasy. If you knew me at all, you would know that I have a hard time with that word. Intimacy. I've seen "intimacy" displayed in many faucets and most of which have been inappropriate. I, like many other people of the world, used to think intimacy is the connection between those in love, in a marriage, between a man and a woman. To take that even farther, intimacy is the actions involved in that "love". But like most things, I'm learning my views on this is way wrong. The past few months I've heard people say over and over again, God is desiring for a more "intimate" relationship with you. And my reaction is usually, in my head, are you crazy? How can God want to be "intimate" with me? How can He desire to act upon that love for me? Intimacy is not the right word to use. Intimacy in my mind=gross. 
As I have asked God to soften my heart on this view, as others have tried to explain what that intimacy looks like, I'm starting to realize the Truth! I'll put these Truths into a list to help me better organize them. :)
1. God loves me, simply because He can! Simply because He wants to. He created me, and you, for the sole purpose of having a relationship with Him. Wow. I was CREATED to have a relationship with HIM! How awesome is that!? I get to live and breath and walk on this earth to be loved by the Creator, Elohim, and to love Him. That's pretty awesome!
2. Jesus died for me. Jesus died for you. Jesus died. But it didn't stop there, He rose from the grave so that we can feel His love! God raised Jesus from the DEAD so that we could be near to Him. So that we could WORSHIP Him! So that we would believe in Him! God didn't just send some man to die for us, He sent HIS one and only Son, Jesus. A perfect man to take our place, to take my place so that I could be connected to God for all eternity! He sent His Son so that I would be seen as worthy in the eyes of God. He raised Jesus from the dead so that I would believe that the same power lives in me! Wow. I am still blown away to know that someone humbled Himself for me when I was unworthy, died for me, and rose so that I may live forever in eternity! 
3. Hosea. Yes, the book of Hosea says it all. When I was wrapped up in my sins, when I was living the party life, drinking all the time, making bad choices with guys, doing the stupid things I knew were wrong, God NEVER stopped pursuing me! As it states in Hosea 2:14 "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." God pulled me out of the darkness I was living in, transplanted me to Oklahoma and spoke tenderly to me. He has never stopped whispering in my heart telling me how beautiful I am, calling me His beloved. Even in my own pride, selfishness, stupidity, lust, bad choices, He has never stopped pursuing me. He has never stopped wooing me. He longs for me to turn to Him and believe in my heart that He loves me with a deep, compassionate, pure love. He means no harm in my life and will use my hurts and my pains to glorify Him! Yes, just rest in that TRUTH! God NEVER stops pursuing you! He sees me as His bride, His beautiful beloved! I want to be intimate with my bridegroom!! I don't know about you, but that makes me just want to sit and let Him love me. It makes me want to sit at His feet and just be in His presence! What a glorious feeling!!!
4. This last one I know I've talked about before but here is a different side. Friendships. This is the tangible application of what God is teaching me about intimacy. Intimacy is not just between a man and a woman. Intimacy comes from the sharing of your hearts. Intimacy comes from acting on the love that is only of God. Intimacy is among the best of friends. Through the last few years I have been undergoing this lesson and have not realized it until now. I have seen how God has taken friendships and what I used to think were the best friendships and has given me some greater ones. And you know what makes them different? Intimacy. There have been a handful of friendships over the past years that have required intimacy to allow them to grow deeper. There have been friendships that have challenged me to be deeper with the Lord. There have been friendships that have seen me at my worst and my best. There have been a few people who have seen places in my heart most have not. Intimacy has been the difference. Intimacy in Jesus' love has been the difference. To recount the instant connection with my dear sister Linda, this friendship is an example of the intimacy I believe God desires from me. Very quickly we moved from surface level stuff to the depths of our hearts. We barely knew the little things about each other, but we knew the thoughts of our hearts. Yes, I am sure there are things we don't know about each other, but that connection, that love that only comes from God, I have never felt anything quite like that before. The instant connection that calls you to intimacy with the Lord, this is a new feeling for me. It makes me thirst for more of Christ, it makes me hunger for more of His Truth and His love. My friendship with Linda has opened my eyes and my heart to a whole new level of Gods' love! 1 John 4:11-12 says this "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." You see, I saw God's love for me through Linda. She loved me without even really knowing me. She displayed the unconditional love that is only of God. From her love for me, our team, her heart for the Lord, her joy, her peace, I got the privilege to walk with Jesus this summer. Each moment I was around her, I felt that Jesus was next to me and He was asking for me to receive His love. I fought it a lot, even felt very selfish at times. (ask my leaders..) But God was trying to show His love for me through Linda and it was so overwhelming with goodness and grace I had a hard time receiving it. I didn't fully understand and still don't, but I have a better picture now of just how deep God's love for me really is! And my heart is overwhelmed! :) 


I pray that you feel God pursuing you! I pray that if you think you have done too many wrongs for God to love you, if you feel unworthy to be loved by an almighty Creator, that you remember Hosea and how God pursued Israel even when the worshipped idols. Remember how God sent His Son to die for you and for me. I pray that in times of hurt and sorrow, you feel God's arms wrapped around you and you feel His love. His love is what gives us strength to face the rough days and the good days. His love is worthy living for! His love is what gives us Life!