Intimacy with God – face to Face; special relationship with God
I have been thinking about how grateful I am that God chose me to be His child, His very own creation. The last 24 hours have been so difficult for those closest to me, and my broken heart is only held together by the loving presence of the Holy Spirit. In times like these, I realize the magnitude of my role as mediator between my loved ones and God. I find myself begging Him for mercy over the ones I love so much.
This intimacy that I have with God also speaks to the depression, the despondency that seeps into my thoughts and feelings in moments of exhaustion, crying out to God, as the Psalmist says. “Let my prayer come before You. Incline Your ear to my cry.” I am unashamed to beg my God for His help – to give me strength to put one foot in front of the other, companionship when I feel isolated, or some small reminder that His answer is coming to build faith in His faithfulness and lovingkindnesses to me.
Because of this intimate relationship with God, I can know that He is my strong “arm every morning.” How comforting in waking to realize that He knows the battles of the day, and that He will rise to fight for me and the ones I love. This picture is one that gives me courage to also get up, get dressed, and put on the armor He has given us – the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the girdle of truth, the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, and the shoes to bring the Gospel’s peace to today’s difficult situation. To be this close to the God who can change the focus of tragedy as I pray for His intervention in the hearts and minds of everyone involved – how humbling.
I have tried to describe this intimacy with God that I feel because of the circumstances of my everyday life (right now the extreme concerns I have seem to be ongoing, every single day); the truth is, however, that being in close relationship with God is His plan for individuals and His church. Our daily dependence on Him and trust in Him are the marks of the faithful church in Revelation 3. God says that He sees this church who does not deny His name in hard times, and He will protect His church during these times. The promise is that the church will become a pillar of stability in His future kingdom. In fact, God will give each of us a new name. Wow! He will call me by His own special name; how much more intimate can it get than that.
Sixty-six books in a year 