Intimacy: The Missing Link

James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…”

I’ve found that there are many Christians who attend church regularly but are frustrated in their relationships with God. I’m saddened by the surplus of believers who come to church, hear the Word of God, and even hold positions and/or offices in their congregations, but yet they feel disconnected from the Lord. While everyone goes through seasons where we feel like God is a million miles away, this feeling of despair should only be temporary. How often do pastors hear God’s people give the same testimony: “Pastor, I love God, but I just feel ‘something missing’ in my life.” Many have just resolved to embrace this temporary state of barrenness as a permanent part of their spirituality.


The missing link in many a Christian life is intimacy with God. One relationship expert defined intimacy as “to see into me.” If we’d take an objective look at creation, we’d see God’s Intimacy regarding man’s design. The Lord didn’t perform mass reproduction regarding us, but He created us “fearfully and wonderfully,” giving us our very own DNA and fingerprints (Psalm 139:14). He even assigned each strand of hair on our heads a number! (Matthew 10:30)


Periodically, it is necessary that we evaluate our relationship with God to see if we’re pursuing intimacy with Him or not. Every now and then, we ought to ask ourselves the hard questions: “Is my spiritual life off balance?” “What amount of time do I spend telling God what’s on my mind verses my seeking what’s on His?” “Has my walk with God dissipated to just talking to Him in emergency situations?” “Is my view of God one of reverence and respect or has He become my “sugar daddy?”


If you aren’t satisfied with the answers to those questions, James has this solution for us: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8) Make the decision today that your relationship with God is going to be one of intimacy—in obedience, in study, in worship, in service, and in church attendance. Then and only then, will the spiritual void be filled and we’ll have the connection with God that our hearts long for.


Let’s Pray:
“Father, we pray that our relationships with You will be ones of intimacy and not just existence. As the deer pants for the water, we pray that our souls will long after You. Help us to draw closer to You than we’ve ever been, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10