Intimacy with God…how we are formed when no one can see what is happening.

 

God lovingly, with infinite attention to detail, created you for Himself.  He shaped you to fit in the arms of His embrace to dance with Him.  Listen to the Lover of your soul as He exclaims:

 

How beautiful you are, my love, how beautiful! Your eyes are soft as doves’.  Your perfume is more fragrant than the richest of spices.  I have loved you, dear bride, with an everlasting love; with loving-kindness. I have loved you very deeply. If you could see me now you would realize that I rejoice over you with great gladness. Indeed, I dance with the joy of loving you all the while singing a happy song.  With my love, I will calm all your fears; with   my love I will protect you, for my never failing love is like the walls of a fort. How sweet is your love, my treasure, my bride! How much better it is than wine! “My dove is hiding behind some rocks, behind an outcrop on the cliff. Let me see you, let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and you are lovely.” How beautiful you are, my beloved, how beautiful! Come; come swiftly to my side that we may rejoice together in our love. I am drawing you to me.  (Taken from: Jer. 31:3, Zeph 3:17, S of S 1:15, 2:14, 4:1, 10, Ps. 31:21, Mal. 1:2, 1 John 4:9, Ps. 145:8-9)

 

Can you sense His love for you right now?  Do you understand how much he treasures you?  Do you realize He loved you so much that He gave you everything He was, everything He had? It has been said that if you were the only one He would have willingly, gladly given His all just for you. 

 

And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Eph 3:17-20  (Msg)

 

He fashioned you, shaped you, and created you in love.  He made you to dance with Him.  Why is it that we turn from the Lover of our souls, and put other people and other things in the place designed only for Him?  I don’t think we just wake up one morning and think; I’m going to let someone else take the place of my Jesus.  I think it happens over a period of time as we allow people and things to crowd out our devotion time with the Lord.

 

Devotions are our intimate times with Jesus away from the daily rush of activity.  It’s where we’re formed into Christ’s likeness.  It’s where we learn about Him.  It’s where we express our love and dependency on Him.   It’s where we receive guidance and direction.  It’s during these times of intimacy with God, when no one else is listening, when no one else is watching, that God forms us, reforms us from the inside out.  Our one-on-one times with Jesus are the most important moments of our day.  It determines who we are and what we accomplish.  This marvelous dance of intimacy with the Lover of our soul forms us from the inside out.  So what’s hindering your times of intimacy with the Lord?  What keeps you out of His arms?

 

Hindrances to Our Dance Time

 

1.            The “BLANKETS”  - When establishing a quiet time, you will face your first problem the moment you wake each morning: “Am I going to get out of bed?”  Suggestions:

 

·         Go to bed on time. You really don’t need a dose of late night TV before you go to bed.  Try this experiment for one month: go to bed ½ hour earlier, and see if after time you don’t have less of a problem getting out of bed.

·         Get up IMMEDIATELY.  “No snooze for youze.”

·         Establish a healthy lifestyle.  This includes exercise and watching your diet.  I’m not advocating seaweed and tofu, but watch your junk food intake.  A lot of that stuff is just that, junk, and it slows down your system and robs you of energy.

 

2.     “DISTRACTIONS”  - Satan will try to use anything to get your mind to wander during a quiet time.  Suggestions:

 

§        Get thoroughly AWAKE.

§        Read and pray ALOUD.

§        WALK during your prayer time.

§        Purposefully eliminate all distractions:   Story of me and dirty house.

§        Keep a JOURNAL.

 

3.     The “BLAHS”  - Sometimes you will feel like you’re not getting anything out of your quiet time.  Never judge your quiet time by your FEELINGS.  Possible Causes of Spiritual Dryness: 

 

·         Your physical condition.  Our bodies are wonderfully complex; God’s workmanship is marvelous.  (Ps 139:14)  When our bodies are sick, God created several means by which our bodies can heal themselves.  One of those factors is that when we are ill, we “feel” depressed.  God designed this feature so that we would slow down and rest so that the body could repair itself.  If you are depressed and dragging because of illness, go to bed…rest.  Talk to God there.  

·         Rushing your quiet time.  Think about running around trying to get 12 hours worth of work done in six hours and then getting a phone call from your child or spouse right before the deadline.   It would be hard to really concentrate on all of the nuances of their conversation with all the other stuff crowding our minds.  It is no different with God.  We need to quiet our spirit prior to walking to our “prayer closet.”  (Ps. 46:10)  Breathe deeply, and purposefully empty out your mind of all of the “junk.”  Then focus on God.

 

4.     “RELIGIOUS SPIRIT”  -  A dance should be smooth, flowing, an expression of the people moving.  Have you ever seen someone dance who is stiff and overly formal?  Not a pretty sight, is it?  Your dance with Jesus should be a natural expression of who you are.  You don’t have to use a certain tone of voice.  You don’t have to say just the right thing.  You certainly shouldn’t be stiff and cover what you’re feeling.  Be honest.  Be open.  Be real.  Let Jesus lead.  Ask Him questions; don’t just give him a “honey do list.”  Love on Him.  Allow Him to love on you.  Give Him permission to smooth out the rough spots.  Allow Him to shape you from the inside out, while no one else is watching.

 

What people see is the outward results of an inward work that is accomplished in the intimacy of a dance with the Lord.  I would love to be able to lead us into a quiet place of intimacy with our Beloved today.  For there is no other place I would rather be, than in His glorious presence.  In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand, there are pleasures for evermore.  In His presence there is peace.  In His presence, there is understanding and insight.

 

Do you hear Him calling?  When you hear His voice, do all other sounds that clamor for your attention grow faint.  Listen to Him now.  The Lord is personally issuing you an invitation today to a sheltered and secret place of communion, where you will finally learn to recognize His great love for you, and learn how much He truly values you…to a place where you are formed from the inside out.

 

“My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.  (So I went with him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me) O my dove (while you are there) in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.”  Song of Solomon 2:10, 14 AMP

 

 

 

 

 

Posted under Heart to Heart