Have you ever needed to talk to someone to get something off your chest and your spouse or bff just weren’t going to satisfy that need? Ever felt like no one really knows you? At least not all of you?
We crave it.
We were built for it.
We need it.
Intimacy.
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1: a state marked by emotional closeness
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2: a quality suggesting closeness or warmth
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3: something that is very personal or private
God created us. He created that need for intimacy within us. He longs to fill it for us.
He created a God sized hole in our spirit that only He can fill. That’s why when we try to fill that emptiness with other things or other people, they don’t stick. They can’t satisfy long-term. HE wants that spot!
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
1 Corinthians 3:16 kjv
I liken that intimacy, that closeness, to having a tiny infant in my arms.
When my babies were newborns, I swaddled them up in one of those cloth carriers that would allow me to be hands free while they rested against my chest. I had a living, breathing human-being strapped right against me. What a responsibility!
I stayed away from cigarette smoke, cursing and harsh noises and odors. I spoke softly, giving thought to what I would say since my lips were only inches away from those small ears. I kept my hands clean and sanitized for fear of leaving traces of germs or illness on that baby. I talked to them throughout my day, whispering “I love you so much”. Introducing them to smells and informative sentences like “now this is what red velvet cake smells like and It’s your daddy’s favorite” or “I hope this song I’m wooing you with is something you sing to your own children”.
I took the presence of that baby very seriously. I didn’t want to grieve it. To make it uncomfortable. To cause it pain or disappointment in me. I took the intimacy of having my babies so close, where they felt my heart beat, as a privilege that not all were afforded. I tried not to take that for granted.
God doesn’t need us to be His life-giver and protector and to introduce Him to new things like a child, but, we need to remember that just as those babies are held against us, His Holy Spirit is even closer. It’s not outside of us, but inside.
Super natural strength…
This privilege that we have…this gift…this responsibility…this is where our strength abides as believers. We were created in His image and were gifted His Holy Spirit to help guide and move us. He is more powerful, more discerning, and stronger than we could ever be and He desires to be intimately involved in our lives, filling us up to over-flowing with Himself.
Ever done something on His behalf that you thought you would never be able to do?
Ever had a conversation with someone and wondered later where those words came from?
Ever done that thing that seemed out of character for you but was the right call?
That was His spirit, working through you, pushing, strengthening, filling you with boldness and courage.
This privilege comes with responsibility.
Who likes to be told that we could grieve God? No one.
Who needs to be reminded that it’s possible? All of us.
“Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.”
Ephesians 4:30 The Message
Goodness, we don’t like to talk about this do we? We like comfortable. We like encouragement. We like pats on the back and “sometimes you just have to’s” and “I couldn’t help myselves” and “everybody else is doing it”
I love how The Message puts this verse “…His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life…” Sometimes I think that we forget this. That as believers in Christ, His Holy Spirit is dwelling IN us. Another way to think about it is that He sees what we see and hears what we hear.
I’m completely awestruck by His design!
Are you?
Let’s take a deep breath today and acknowledge His handy work. The craftsmanship that went into building us as only He could do. The fact that this need we have for intimacy isn’t just an impossible desire that we have to go through life with, but that He offers the solution in Himself.
Let this be a reminder…
**He longs to be closer than any other
**He wants to share with us His strength and help us do hard things
**He is holy
**What an honor it is to be called His
This.
Ponder this and see if your heart rate doesn’t go up a little bit.
Reflect & Respond
**As believers are we keenly aware that the Holy Spirit dwells in us 24 hours a day?
**What can we do to honor His presence in our lives? How can we flesh that knowledge out into our day-to-day living?
Simple Faith 