The first time I heard a talk on intimacy with God, my thirteen-year-old self cringed on the inside.
Intimacy wasn 't a thing I expected to have with God. Intimacy was something for married couples, just for older people in general, with strictly other people, and God just wasn 't any part of it. That 's how it was.
At least, that 's what the culture told me it was about. Intimacy = sex. It was obvious. It was simple.
Except, it 's not.
The dictionary definition of intimate doesn 't even mention sex till six descriptions down. And numbers one through five? There 's a lot more to them.
associated in close personal relations characterized by warm friendship, a personally close or familiar association or feeling. very private; closely personal …show more content…
Your friendship is a friendship that will last beyond the years. You have made plans for road trips and adventures with this person. You have committed to a long-term relationship with the exchanging of friendship bracelets. You share experiences and dreams with this person. They know all of your embarrassing secrets, and are the root of at least half of them. You better recognize this person in a crowd, because they will tackle you if you don 't find them first.
The Fifth Chair
Your Family: These people don 't necessarily have to be blood-relatives to be family. These are the people who love you wildly, who tell you 'no ' when you 're about to go on another Halloween-candy binge, who stand up for you through the good and the bad. They know your worst secrets and your deepest fears. They know what your weaknesses and strengths are. They are on your team, and they will always have your back. They are a constant in life. You don 't need to recognize these people in a crowd because they 're already with you.
God wants to be in that fifth chair; He wants to be part of your family. The God who made you is the God who wants you, and God made you with a purpose to seek after Him and be intimate with Him. God wants you to call him …show more content…
He wants you to have people in those chairs, and have relationships. The God of love, who loves us, wants us to love others.
'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ' - 1 John 4:7-8
God is love.
Knowing God is knowing love. God intended us to have people in those chairs, to have friends and best friends and family. God made us with the need to be intimate with people, to have those deep relationships. To have intimacy. With other humans, and with Him. God wants something deep and lovely with you, but He 'll only share it if you want to. He won 't force himself into the fifth chair- Not if you don 't want Him there. He won 't push you.
So if He 's in chair one, alright. He 'll wait.
If He 's in chair two, sure. He won 't push you. Take your time. Get to know Him.
If He 's in chair three, He 's glad. He 'll take it. But He 'll still be knocking on the door you 've
Intimacy wasn 't a thing I expected to have with God. Intimacy was something for married couples, just for older people in general, with strictly other people, and God just wasn 't any part of it. That 's how it was.
At least, that 's what the culture told me it was about. Intimacy = sex. It was obvious. It was simple.
Except, it 's not.
The dictionary definition of intimate doesn 't even mention sex till six descriptions down. And numbers one through five? There 's a lot more to them.
associated in close personal relations characterized by warm friendship, a personally close or familiar association or feeling. very private; closely personal …show more content…
Your friendship is a friendship that will last beyond the years. You have made plans for road trips and adventures with this person. You have committed to a long-term relationship with the exchanging of friendship bracelets. You share experiences and dreams with this person. They know all of your embarrassing secrets, and are the root of at least half of them. You better recognize this person in a crowd, because they will tackle you if you don 't find them first.
The Fifth Chair
Your Family: These people don 't necessarily have to be blood-relatives to be family. These are the people who love you wildly, who tell you 'no ' when you 're about to go on another Halloween-candy binge, who stand up for you through the good and the bad. They know your worst secrets and your deepest fears. They know what your weaknesses and strengths are. They are on your team, and they will always have your back. They are a constant in life. You don 't need to recognize these people in a crowd because they 're already with you.
God wants to be in that fifth chair; He wants to be part of your family. The God who made you is the God who wants you, and God made you with a purpose to seek after Him and be intimate with Him. God wants you to call him …show more content…
He wants you to have people in those chairs, and have relationships. The God of love, who loves us, wants us to love others.
'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ' - 1 John 4:7-8
God is love.
Knowing God is knowing love. God intended us to have people in those chairs, to have friends and best friends and family. God made us with the need to be intimate with people, to have those deep relationships. To have intimacy. With other humans, and with Him. God wants something deep and lovely with you, but He 'll only share it if you want to. He won 't force himself into the fifth chair- Not if you don 't want Him there. He won 't push you.
So if He 's in chair one, alright. He 'll wait.
If He 's in chair two, sure. He won 't push you. Take your time. Get to know Him.
If He 's in chair three, He 's glad. He 'll take it. But He 'll still be knocking on the door you 've