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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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The Believer's Heart-Cry
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The psalmist gives expression to the heart-cry of the believer. As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. My whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I reach out for you. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. The New Testament speaks of acknowledging our privileged position as God’s child and knowing the freedom of calling Him, Daddy. Fellowship with God, sitting at His feet, learning to be at home with Him, listening for His voice, giving my entire being in a love relationship with my Father – all are encouraged not only by the New Testament writers, but by Christ Himself. What the psalmist longs for and what is taught on the pages of the New Testament is called by many, intimacy with God. To some, the concept of intimacy presents a sense of mysticism and a relationship immersed in feelings and emotion. It can also seem very elusive. Webster however defines intimacy very differently. The dictionary brings to mind a very personal, very familiar relationship that happens on a deep level. If that implies the pulse of intimacy in my relationship with God, my feelings and emotions may or may not be involved, yet it is a very attainable relationship. Within an intimate relationship, I want to be personally known and understood, and having been known and understood, I desire to be accepted for who I am and loved without conditions being applied. In order for that kind of relationship to take place, exposure becomes necessary – an exposure that is willing to say, "This is who I am. This is where I struggle. These are my conflicts, my concerns, my aspirations, my hopes, my joys. This is who others may not see, but I want you to see." A one-sided relationship however does not lend itself to intimacy. The longing of the believer’s heart is met though by the longing of God’s heart, or to be more accurate, as much as we may long for intimacy with God, He has initiated that desire because of His own desire to be intimate with us. What I am discovering is that intimacy is my openness meeting God’s openness, and embarking on a journey of opening myself more and more to God while I learn more and more about this awesome One I can freely call, "Daddy." |
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— Bev |
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