JANUARY 20: “BENEFITS OF INTIMACY WITH GOD: THE REVELATION OF GOD’S INTENTIONS”

Intimacy is synonymous with closeness. It denotes not just the existence of a relationship; it suggests that the relationship is active and thriving. As children of God, who have been called into a relationship with God based on our faith in Jesus Christ, God desires that we be in an intimate relationship with Him. The truth is that the degree of our intimacy with God determines the depth of our spiritual experience. Intimacy with God is not a futile exercise; it has benefits for us. This truth is echoed throughout the Scriptures.

The text for our meditation today, is one of such instances. God wanted to carry out His sentence against Sodom and Gomorrah, but He spoke to Abraham about it. We may wonder why God did that. The testimony of Scripture is that God regarded Abraham as a friend (Isaiah 41:8). This conversation reveals the benefit of intimacy. Based on Abraham’s intimacy with God, He was able to know what God wanted to do; and because of what Abraham knew, he was in a better position to respond appropriately, which resulted in the rescue of Lot, his cousin.

There are believers in contemporary times who are ignorant of the things that God wants to do in and around them, simply because they do not have intimacy with God. Many incidences that could have been averted have unfortunately happened because intimacy with God was lacking. Imagine what would have befallen Lot, if Abraham had not been a man who had an intimate relationship with God. Your intimacy with God can be the lifeline for the people around you.

Beloved, it has been established that intimacy with God gives us access to know the will and mind of God, which positions and empowers us to respond appropriately. The truth is that your intimacy with God is not only beneficial to you, but it is also beneficial to the people in your circle. God is ever available; the question is whether we are also ready to draw closer to Him. The Scripture assures us that God will draw near to us if we draw near to Him (James 4:8). He is waiting. How long will you keep Him waiting, as He longs to be intimate with you?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me respond to Your call for me to be intimate with You in Jesus’ name I pray. Heavenly Father, please help me to do away with things that will not make me to have intimacy with You in Jesus’ Name, Amen.