He came! It was prophesied and foretold in the Old Testament that He would come. They watched. They waited. They grew weary in the waiting, but in the perfect, appointed time it happened! Immanuel came. Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah to come born of a virgin. In his declaration to the nation of Israel Isaiah began with a question, “Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?” Israel, those chosen as God’s anointed people, had turned from Go
d and embraced idolatry. Trying to hold on to their birthright with one hand and satisfy their flesh through pagan practices with the other, they mingled Holy things with sadistic ways and fell greatly.
They wearied of doing what God had commanded as right. They wearied of seeking His face. They wearied of coming to worship Jehovah. They pleased themselves with temporal things and became enslaved to their unsatisfying bondage. They wearied of the waiting for the Messiah to come. They denied the intimate relationship offered them. They denied the gift of His Presence. And still He came.
He came! Written in the book of Matthew, and even more detailed in the book of Luke, the Messiah came to fulfil prophesies of old. Every precise detail unfolded, nothing remained undone. The Savior had come to redeem mankind. He came to bring the gift of life. He came to bring the gift of salvation. He came to offer the gift of His Presence into the soul of the redeemed. Yet many denied the gift that His Presence offered them. And still He came.
Have you ever really thought about what it cost Him? Do we take time to really meditate on this whole account? I ask myself, do I reflect on what He left behind to come to this earth and accomplish every specific detail in order to give me life … eternal life with Him? Nothing came by chance, spontaneity, or a whim; no sudden responses or reactions; and not one involuntary action. Every detailed step was an act of Divine Providence. A path walked with purpose, although, many reject Him. And still He came.
He came to offer more! Each moment of every day on this earth His Beloved are invited into intimate relationship with the Lover of their Soul. Intimate relationship is His gift that keeps on giving. This gift is offered to each of His children, but few ever come with open hearts and empty hands to receive all that intimacy entails. Why is “intimate relationship” fearful to some, and undesirable by most?
- Intimate relationships requires God to be our ‘first love’.
- Intimate relationship requires dying to flesh and its desires.
- Intimate relationship requires obedience in all things.
- Intimate relationship requires dedication, devotion and time.
- Intimate relationship requires acceptance of the unknown.
Why do we resist His prompting to come closer? Why do we turn from giving Him our all? We all face various oppositions and struggles, weak areas in our lives. From my own personal experience I have found three major enemies that come to war against my intimate relationship:
- Faith – I have to remind myself of times that He has been faithful. I have to rest in His goodness, even when I am facing the unknown, He is always Sovereign!
- Trust – I have to purpose in my heart that He always knows BEST. I come to His Word and refresh scriptures in my hearing and my heart that He alone can be trusted with all of me. Within myself I cannot lead me, but He can always see the way.
- Satisfaction / Contentment – I have to be accepting of what He has given me and where He has placed me. I must keep a focus that my path is different from someone else’s, unique for me. I must believe that He has a desired purpose that is taking me where He leads. His allotment is specific for my need and our path. Contentment comes from Him. Only Jesus can truly satisfy the deep longings within. Nothing about Him is temporal!
Where are you in this moment? Are you experiencing an “intimate relationship” each and every day? If Jesus is your Savior, He makes Himself available. We have that entrance into His Presence when we repent of our sins. Where do you want to be? I pray that you find yourself at His feet, seeking His face and desiring that intimacy that He offers. Come before Him and allow Him to be more than you ever imagined. Come to His Word and allow Him to speak deep into your heart and soul. He came that we may KNOW Him. Let that truth settle deep down inside. Take it, meditate on it and be amazed that Sovereign God Almighty loves you and wants you to KNOW Him.
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me.
~ John 10: 14, 27
