Intimacy with God

On summer evenings, we love to have friends over for dinner in the backyard. While the kids roast marshmallows and play basketball, we linger under the string lights at the outdoor table long after the meal is over. It’s actually as idyllic as it sounds, at least until someone gets stabbed with a marshmallow stick.

One evening, our conversation turned to the Holy Spirit, and in particular, intimacy through the Holy Spirit. Our friend, who is a pastor, said that intimacy with Jesus is one of his favorite things to teach because, as he said, “Who doesn’t long for intimacy? We all do!” He came more and more alive as he spoke about what he has witnessed happen in people who have had the revelation that they can feel closely connected to God through His Spirit. “Awakening to the intimacy of the Holy Spirit completely changes people,” he said with enthusiasm.

Paul taught about how the Holy Spirit helps us experience the love of God when he wrote, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who He has given to us” (Romans 5:5 NIV).

Paul isn’t likening the love God gives us to the slow drip of a leaky faucet. It’s more like Niagara Falls. God is profusely pouring His love into our hearts because He longs for loving and intimate relationship with His children. We worship a God who is both omnipotent and intimate!

Of all the things the enemy does not want you to experience, I believe intimacy with God is at the top of the list. He knows he’s done once you discover there is no substitute for it and no greater joy found outside of it. To feel truly known by God and to experience the warmth of His presence and His welcoming acceptance is better than the best this world can offer, and the enemy knows that.

That being said, I realized that the idea of intimacy with God can make some feel uncomfortable, especially if they were raised in a home where God was seen as a distant being rather than a relational Father. But deep familiarity and rich fellowship with God is one of the most treasured gifts the Holy Spirit gives us, so if intimacy feels foreign or uncomfortable to you, would you dare ask the Spirit to pry your heart open to the great flood of love He wants to pour in? The Holy Spirit beckons you to call the “Alpha and Omega” your “Abba, Father.”

God as Abba Father

Knowing how much God longs for intimacy with His children, it shouldn’t surprise us that Abba is the Aramaic word Jesus used for Father in the Lord’s prayer. This is an informal name we would often translate in the English language as Daddy. Think about that for a moment. We are invited into sacred intimacy with the Trinity.

Paul writes about our intimacy with God this way: “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cried, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:15–16 NIV).

Do we see what’s happening? The Spirit enlivens a sense of belonging in our hearts. Belonging! While the enemy is tapping into our insecurities that tell us we are unwelcome and unwanted impostors in God’s presence, the Holy Spirit is melting our hearts with the assurance of our adoption as God’s precious one.

Why does this matter? Because an intimate relationship with God is central to the flourishing Christian life, and the difference in those who experience intimacy with God and those who don’t is typically rooted in our openness to the Spirit and our obedience to God’s Word.

God has personally poured His Spirit into our hearts so we can have a deeply personal and life-giving relationship with Him. Let’s not miss it, friends! Let’s not settle for rote religion when we can have a real relationship with our Abba Father!

Last but not least

Reflect: Read Galatians 4:6–7. Reflect on the truth that you are an heir of God, and you inherit all the blessings and benefits as a daughter of the King.

Respond: Ask the Holy Spirit to stir up gratitude and worship in your spirit for all of the ways you are a beneficiary of God’s grace. Salvation, healing, wholeness, intimacy, peace, belonging, favor, and intimacy with God are yours because of Jesus!

This excerpt from Don’t Miss Out: Daring to Believe Like Is Better with the Holy Spirit is the property of Bethany House Publishers. a division of Baker Publishing Group, copyright 2021. Used by permission.

Jeannie Cunnion is an author who is well-known for writing stories that much of the wild love of Jesus because of how her life has been rescued by it. She is also a beloved Bible teacher and sought-after speaker who has been featured on outlets such as the TODAY show, Fox News, The 700 Club, and Focus on the Family. Jeannie, who holds a master’s degree in social work, worked as a counselor and trainer in the adoption field before writing. She is a wife to Mike and a mama to five boys she is crazy about. To know Jeannie is to know her deep love for Danita’s Children’s Home in Haiti. Connect with her online at JeannieCunnion.com.

Photograph © Sandy Millar, used with permission