3 Important Habits to Deepen Your Intimacy With God
Intimacy with God must be the constant pursuit of any disciple of Jesus. This is even more true of those of us who want to see Kingdom impact through our lives and ministries. The following article is a guest contribution by Kima Hmar.
A dependent puppy
Six months ago, I decided to adopt a puppy from my neighbors. This puppy, we affectionately named Kurly. She soon won our hearts and filled our silence. Tiny, obnoxious, cute, and infuriating, she chewed on everything she could sink her little teeth into.
Some days, I thought perhaps I made a mistake adopting her! One day, as I sat holding her tiny frame sleeping on my lap. I realized how frail and completely at my mercy she was. I could either snap her neck and kill her if I wanted to right at that moment, or continue to nurture her growth until she became a healthy strong adult.
When Jesus conversed with His disciples in John fifteen, He was deeply aware of the frailty of humanity. He understood our complete reliance on God to nurture us into healthy people whose lives bear the fruit of love.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:4 NIV.
Kurly has grown stronger and can now move about doing many things. At the end of the day, however, she still needs to draw her source of nurture and care from me. We are not dogs, neither are we branches of a grapevine. These metaphors draw our attention to the reality that God is our life source. We are called to become those who reflect the love of God to our neighbors. This comes from an abiding life with Him.
We were created for intimacy – a depth of relationship where we are known and loved. This intimacy forms us into people who can love others, the lost, and creation in a way that is safe and good.
The God who calls us to Himself is safe.
The dilemma for many of us is this. Though we know this to be true, our perception of God is marred by our life experiences. Intimacy can be scary territory. What we want to know is whether this God who has called us to Himself is safe.
Moses knew very little of the God of his ancestors when he first started his ministry. His perception of God was likely embedded in the Egyptian mythology of gods and goddesses. As he began the journey of knowing Yahweh, his internal perception was loaded with a disorienting view of God. It is much the same for us.
When God showed His glory to Moses in Exodus 34, He revealed himself in ways Moses did not expect. A god is expected to be terribly powerful, able to command blessings and curses as he sees fit. Yahweh, however, was unlike any other gods Moses had ever known. When He came to Moses, He proclaimed His compassion, grace, abounding love, and mercy. Even His punishment of the wicked is set within the context of His unending love and forgiveness.
God’s revelation of Himself to Moses provides us with a lens through which we can see God. When Jesus came and dwelt in our midst, He expounded on this Old Testament revelation of God by His life and actions. When He forgave sinners, sat with the children, cared for the widow, confronted the hypocrites and oppressors – Jesus revealed God to us. This God has called us to Himself and is safe. He will not harm, but heal. He will not condemn but forgive. This is the love that invites us to an abiding intimacy where we can draw our very life from Him.
3 Practices To Grow in Intimacy With God
I have worked in a voluntary mission organization for twenty-four years. I freely admit that in the busyness of doing the work of mission, I have often failed to create enough space to nurture my life with God. As a missionary….or as a believer, I am called to love God and my neighbors.
The big question is – will my love be safe like God’s, or will it harm rather than heal? My intimacy with God is the wellspring and source of love and compassion for others. I must be willing to develop practices in my life to create space for my intimacy to deepen with God.
There are three Christian spiritual disciplines I incorporate into my life as a way of deepening my communion with God. I invite you to join me in these. These disciplines are simple, small, and measurable. For the last five years, they have been an instrument the Holy Spirit has used to strengthen my intimacy with God in profound ways:
1. The discipline of redeeming routine.
I choose one of my everyday normal routines as a space to be aware of God. One of the first things I do in the morning is to splash my face with cold water. For nearly five years now, every morning when I wash my face, I recite the Lord’s prayer. I imagine the Holy Spirit awakening my senses towards God as the cold water awakens me from my sleepiness.
Is there a daily routine you can choose such as driving to work, washing your hands, or walking up or down the stairs? Could you make this a holy space to meet with God? Choose a short verse or prayer to recite as you do this routine activity.
2. The discipline of the Prayer of Examen.
This was developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola. It’s a prayer where you spend at least five minutes before you go to sleep at night asking the Holy Spirit to help you review the day. Ask Him to bring to light when you were most attuned to God during the day and when you weren’t (for me, it’s always when I’m driving that I am least aware of God!!).
As He reveals the events to you, take a moment to be grateful. Ask forgiveness and offer a prayer for a greater capacity to be aware of God throughout the next day.
3. The discipline of silence.
Choose any moment in your day when you can find space to be completely undisturbed and silent. Get rid of noise, music, and even reading scripture. For that moment, simply invite the Holy Spirit to come and sit with you. What God will speak to you about in this quiet “selah” (pause) moment of your day is profound.
I do this thirty minutes every day. That may be too much for you to start with. Even three or four minutes is a great beginning. Then slowly increase it.
Doing this has created depth with God. It has changed my pace of work from one that is driven to succeed, to one that is much more rested in God.
The crisis with Covid-19, and the busyness of your life and ministry can become holy ground. It can be a place where you meet with the infinite God of love and grace. I pray that as your life with Him is deepened, you might draw from Him the capacity to act lovingly and compassionately towards others around you.
Which of these three disciplines is new to you?
Choose one to try this week. Let us know how it goes for you on the Missionary Life Facebook page.