Intimacy with God

by Mon Tadle

Matt 22:37-40 Jesus declared,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor’...40 All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Intimacy is the experience of being very close to another person. The relationship is usually two-way, i.e. really knowing and being known in a deeper level. For married couples, at times intimacy happens after you decide to get married. Can we achieve intimacy with God? Of course, intimacy with God is the highest form of relationship.

How do you achieve intimacy with God?

1. Trust is at the heart of intimacy. The more we trust God, the closer we get to Him. If we say, “I believed and trusted God but He didn’t come through”, that means we only trusted God to meet our own agenda. Inversely, when we truly trust His plan and not our own desires and timetable, God will arrange every step and circumstance to bring to pass what destiny has in store for us. As Pope Francis said in one of his homily, “God enters hearts that are like His heart, open and compassionate. Do not forget the grace of salvation that makes the heart sincere and capable of mercy”. God is already within us, in our hearts. He knows us inside-out, our thoughts, our actions, our expectations and even our intentions more than we can ever know. If we put this to heart, then we can pray without ceasing (1

Thess 5:17) as he commanded because you can talk to him anytime. The beauty with God is HE NEVER FAILS US. What you must trust God for right now is where he intends for you to draw closer to Him.

2. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8) A common mistake for a lot of people is that they equate readiness to path to holiness, A “Field of Dreams” mentality. If

we build the right environment, God will come. No, God wants us to come to Him as we are: broken, sick, grieving, a sinner. He wants to restore us. There is no sin that he cannot forgive and no trial/difficulty bigger than His grace. That’s why I am saddened when I hear people say “I am not ready yet to join your community, I am still going through some tough times.” All the more you need God now to help you with your heavy load. Is 55:6 " Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." If not now, when? Do not procrastinate because you may not have the opportunity later on.

3. Implement ACE. Accept that we are not perfect. Sin breaks intimacy so seek God’s forgiveness. Be reconciled with God. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Celebrate blessings and bless others. Whatever you have or don’t have is God’s blessing. Be joyful always. Whatever blessing you receive, pass it on so you can

be a blessing to others as well. Embrace God’s love and provision. Be content with what you have for he knows what’s best to bring you to the highest level of intimacy with Him. Our most valuable possession is not the amount of money we have or what we own, it’s our character, the size of our heart that matters most. All good things come from that.

In closing, intimacy with God is both achievable and very fulfilling. God can be enjoyed here and now through a deep level relationship with Him and close-knit bonding among brothers and sisters. But it requires a decision every single day to TRUST Him and OBEY His word. I do not know about you but LOVING GOD is the best thing that ever happened in my life and I hope it is yours too. May we never be afraid to trust our unknown future to a known God. Our intimacy with God does not end here on Earth but goes on until eternity.

God bless us all.

** first published in Ang Panimalay 1Q 2020 Newsletter