Blog 6 - Intimacy with God

Introduction

Have you ever felt like your prayer life has become routine, lacking the deep connection with God you long for? I know I have. Many believers struggle with maintaining a vibrant, intimate prayer life amidst the busyness and distractions of daily life, even when we pray regularly.

In this episode, my heart is to inspire and equip you with practices to cultivate a deeper, more intimate relationship with God through your prayer life. Together, we'll explore how to transform your times of prayer from routine to life-giving encounters with the living God. We'll dive into key practices and mindsets that can help you break through barriers, engage with God more fully, and experience the joy and power of intimacy with Him in prayer.

Understanding True Intimacy with God

Intimacy with God, at its heart, is about having a close, personal relationship with Him. It's a relationship marked by honesty, vulnerability, and a profound sense of connection. It goes beyond just praying because we feel we should or ticking off items on a spiritual checklist. It's about truly communing with the living God who loves us deeply.

Prayer is the main way we nurture and sustain this closeness. When we approach prayer not just as a religious duty but as a cherished opportunity to commune with our loving Heavenly Father, it transforms our entire perspective.

It's crucial to remember that strategic intercession flows out of our intimacy with God. Our ability to hear His voice and pray according to His will is directly tied to the depth of our relationship with Him.

I was chatting with a missionary last night who admitted he gets sidetracked by academic pursuits and must remember and return to his first love, Jesus. He stays intentional to do so!

I have another friend with a national footprint, very accomplished professionally, who constantly reiterates her desire to keep the main thing the main thing– her union with God. Her prayer shield knows to keep this request at the forefront because everything else in her life, family, ministry, and work genuinely hinges on her walk with God. She understands the sobriety behind the verse: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36, KJV).

Overcoming Barriers to Intimacy

Of course, cultivating intimacy with God isn't always easy. We all face barriers that can hinder our prayer lives, such as distraction, busyness, guilt, or feelings of unworthiness.

One practice that has helped me is to recognize when my one-on-one interactive time with God has been hijacked by distractions. Instead of giving in to shame, I use those distractions as an opportunity to surrender to God the people, emotions, and circumstances that are vying for my attention. By acknowledging the distractions occupying my thoughts and surrendering them to God, I can refocus my heart and mind on Him.

For leaders especially, busyness can be a huge barrier to intimacy with God. It's easy to get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent or the enormity of needs faced. I’ve been reading in the book of Numbers this week. I noted how Moses, taking time to confer with God, was problem-solving – God is the ultimate solution to the imponderables we face.

In chapter 11, as the Israelites made their way through the wilderness to the Promised Land, Moses was faced with how to supply meat to a rough estimate of 2.4 million complaining people, if you include women and children. Needless to say, Moses felt overwhelmed! He brought his burden directly to God,

“I can't carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!”

First, God offered Moses a strategy of delegation to seventy elders so Moses would not have to carry the burden alone.

Next, God told Moses He would supply enough meat overnight to feed the Israelites for a solid month, a practical impossibility. Recognizing the absurdity of this offer, Moses responds to God,

“Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

God responded, “Has My arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not My word comes true!”

Of course, we know the conclusion of this Biblical narrative: God brought enough quail to fill all of their bellies! By sharing this story, I want to remind you that no matter how complex or difficult the weight you carry or the crises you face may be, they are not reasons to lose focus on pursuing intimate time with God. Having the mind of Christ is a much more precious asset than the time we invest in seeking Him.

Effective intercession rests on God’s promises and trusts in His good character. In the midst of our overwhelming need, only union with God keeps us anchored in the truth of Who He is, positioning us to experience the fullness of His goodness. In intimate relationship with God, we are increasingly more able to see ourselves and our circumstances through the eyes of the Living God.

Making Space for God: A Personal Journey

When we counter the barriers we face in our own stories with biblical truths about God's unconditional love, forgiveness, and desire for relationship with us, we find the courage to press in. Practical tips like setting aside dedicated, distraction-free time and prioritizing our alertness in meeting with God can also make a significant difference.

When my children were young, and I was fighting for my one-on-one time with God, I was up at 5 am daily to worship and pray, aware of how critical this time with Him was to my well-being. But exhausted, I would lament over how difficult it was to stay focused, my falling asleep, and becoming easily distracted. Finally, I felt God's gentle response to my dissatisfaction.

The problem was not the morning, but rather, the night before when I would press into the wee hours of the morning to capture highly productive swaths of time — sans children – to get laundry and dishes caught up or whatever pressing projects needed completion. I was trading productivity for alertness in the morning in my time with God.

He invited me to lay down my productivity in exchange for prioritizing my alertness with Him. At first, I wasn't actually happy with His counsel, but recognized the crossroads He was offering me. I stopped setting my alarm and started going to bed by 9 p.m. nightly. I am a night owl and can easily sleep in without an alarm. God began to awaken me, with no alarm set, at 5 a.m. SHARP each morning. I could feel His playfulness and eagerness to meet me each morning.

Intimacy with God isn't about perfection, but about consistently pursuing Him.

My times with Him became vibrantly alive with His presence and far less duty-oriented. Meeting with God became a joy, like eagerly awakening to visit with my best friend, who was waiting for me downstairs.

Practices for Cultivating Intimacy

What does it look like to cultivate intimacy with God in the day-to-day? Here are a few specific practices that can help deepen your prayer life:

1. Set aside dedicated, distraction-free time to meet with God. Just as we tithe money off the top rather than from leftover resources, prioritize this time above all else.

2. Engage in honest, heartfelt conversation with God. Pour out your joys, sorrows, hopes, and fears, knowing He longs to commune with you. Save Strategic Intercession as a response to connection with God and hearing from Him.

3. Interactively meditate on Scripture and allow it to shape your prayers. Let God's Word inform your understanding of who He is and what He desires.

4. Incorporate worship, thanksgiving, and listening into your prayer times. Cultivate a posture of openness and receptivity to God's presence and voice in recognition that He is not a distant Figure but an internally present, all-powerful Ally.

Consistency is key when it comes to these practices. As we show up day after day, even when we don't feel like it, we create space for God to meet us in profound ways.

Over time, we discover the joy of living life not just for God, but with Him.

There is a profound difference between living life FOR God and living life WITH God. When we draw near to God, He draws near to us. (James 4:8) When He draws near, we are freshly reminded of His love. Knowing His unconditional love helps destroy the performant tendencies of leaders. "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16, NASB).

Sanctified imagination can also be a powerful tool for experiencing the here-and-now presence of God. Consecrate your imagination to God, and invite Him to interact with you. Then visualize being in His presence, whether in your current reality or in an idyllic setting like a riverside or pasture. Feel His presence and love. Talk with Him, and listen for His responses. This form of meditation can be profoundly impactful, aiding in connecting with God and recognizing that we are not addressing some lofty Entity, but One Who became flesh like us, and is right here with us.

If you need some help walking through an experience like this, Stasi Eldredge's Captivated Podcast has several episodes where she models this wonderful practice. To be honest, all of Stasi's podcasts offer wonderful guidance on how to grow closer to God.

Here are several of these guided time podcasts by Stasi:

• Romancing the King - Captivated Podcast (Spotify) (Wild At Heart Website)
• Psalm 23 - Captivated Podcast (Spotify) (Wild At Heart Website)
• Psalm 103 - Captivated Podcast (Spotify)

Pursuing Intimacy with God: Practical Next Steps

As we wrap up, let's recap what we've explored together. True intimacy with God is about a close, personal relationship cultivated through honest, vulnerable prayer. While barriers like distraction and busyness can hinder this intimacy, we can overcome them by anchoring ourselves in God's love and implementing practical strategies like setting aside dedicated time and engaging in Scripture-soaked conversation with Him.

Friend, no matter what your prayer life looks like today, I want to encourage you that deeper intimacy with God is possible. He longs for relationship with you even more than you long for it with Him. By showing up consistently and pursuing His presence, you open the door for profound encounters with the living God.

If you're ready to take an additional practical step toward cultivating greater intimacy with God, I highly recommend that you download the Pause app from Wild at Heart Ministries. This simple, free tool provides guided Scripture meditations that help you re-center on God throughout your busy day.

Of course, for ongoing support and inspiration in your prayer journey, be sure to listen to the Strategic Intercession Podcast and check out our resources designed to equip and encourage you as you grow in intimacy and authority in prayer.

As we wrap up this episode, I want you to remember that intimacy with God isn't about perfection but about consistently pursuing Him. Keep showing up, keep pressing in, keep seeking His face. God is always ready and eager to meet with you.

Until next time, friend, keep praying with passion and purpose, knowing that your Heavenly Father delights in every moment spent with you

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