Radical Intimacy

Intimacy with God becomes "radical" when we become intentional with Him. Intentionality requires a plan. It is not just haphazard. It is not just grabbing a moment when you are "free" to be with Him. It is not just using a "read through the Bible in a year" plan. It is not just opening your Bible and reading a random passage and hoping that He will speak to you. You must have a plan.

When you get ready to go on vacation you don't just get in your car and hit the road. Weeks ahead you start planning. You get out a map and decide where you want to go. You get on the internet and search for the all the "tourist attractions" and decide what all you want to do when you get there. You get out the calendar and pick out the perfect time to go. You start thinking through your wardrobe and picking out what you are going to wear and what you want to pick up before you go. Days ahead you might even start preparing some goodies to take along on the trip. A couple of days before your trip you start packing your suitcase. By now, if you are going a long way, you have already called ahead and made hotel reservations along the way. There's alot to do to plan a vacation.

If we can spend all of that time and energy on planning our vacation, is it too difficult to understand that to "journey" with God we need a plan, too? If you want to have a meaningful quiet time with Him, it is going to take some planning on your part. This is what I am discovering in my own personal time with Him and it is what I want to share with you in these coming days.

Where do we begin? We can certainly follow Jesus' example. He often took breaks to fellowship with His Father. (Luke 5:15-16) He intentionally set aside a time. He set a goal to make it work. Finding the right place for our quiet time is different for each of us. I have enjoyed these last few weeks sitting in a small office in this "borrowed home" in front of a window that faces the back yard. I have raised the blinds and had a window view of God's world. Trees, blue sky, green grass, birds, squirrels, and even a couple rabbits have met with the Creator each day. You may have a place at your house where you can get off by yourself and meet with Him. This morning I was confronted with the idea that with all the traveling I am doing these days, finding that "perfect spot" won't be easy, but I am determined to do it.

That's the WHERE now what about the WHEN? The Bible does seem to emphasize the importance of the morning. (Mark 1:35) I know what you are thinking. "Oh, my. Getting up early is too difficult for me. " Hey, no one has had more struggle with that than I have. I am NOT a morning person and if you know me, you know that is true. However, I have to tell you that starting the day WITH Him, leans the whole day TOWARDS Him and makes me much more conscious of His presence and gives me much more wisdom in my decision making throughout the day. It really is amazing.

Now, I also know some of you have small children. It may mean getting up a little earlier so you can have some undistracted time. However, I remember reading a story about Dwight L. Moody's mom. She had LOTS of small ones (including little Dwight). But every morning - with kids running all around her, she would sit in a chair and pull her apron up over her head. All the kids knew that she was "spending time with the Lord" and left her alone! OR let's say you are up having your quiet time and oh, boy, here come your kids. Tell them what you are doing and begin teaching them to have their own quiet time with the Lord. How sweet would that be?

There's no set time as to how long our time with the Lord should be. For me, it is different every day. Some days I have more time to spend than others. I just make the most of the time I have.

Okay, you've got the WHERE and the WHEN, now let's think about the HOW?

Catherine Martin in her book "Six Secrets to a Powerful Quiet Time" suggests an easy way to remember how to spend time alone with Him. We will dive deep into each of these in days to come but here is the whole plan in a nutshell:

Prepare your heart
Read and study God's Word
Adore God in prayer
Yield yourself to God
Enjoy His Presence
Rest in His love

These are "disciplines" that will help us in our devotional time with Him. This is just the guide, but we each must personalize the plan as the Lord leads us in our adventure with Him. This is a flexible plan and can be used whether you have just a few minutes or an hour or more!

One of my favorite new Bible verses says, "The eyes of the Lord look throughout the earth to strongly support those whose hearts are committed to Him." II Chronicles 16:9

God is looking for someone whose heart is committed to Him. He wants to STRONGLY SUPPORT that person. Will you be that person He is looking for? Can I be that person? I'm praying that you will have a heart totally committed to Him. He WILL give you all the support you need to meet with Him every day! And to be honest, these last few days, I've noticed that I wake up before I even NEED to get up. I guess my spirit just can't wait to be with Him. He' s waiting for you. Will you meet with Him?