FINDING INTIMACY WITHOUT SHAME

Day after day, millions of human hearts are wounded in their searches for intimacy. In their broken states, they pursue this God-given desire in ungodly ways, only to find shame and scorn for their efforts. Intimacy was not designed to be this way. In fact, it is possible to experience an intimacy with God and peo- ple that has no shame in it. Intimacy means so much more than a physical union. It is the empowering confidence people have in one another that allows them to share the deepest parts of their hearts—their hopes and dreams, their fears and failures, their feelings and frustrations.

There are times when my wife and I talk about the hap- penings of our days, the meetings we’ve been in and the other people we have talked to, but eventually we move past the chit chat of people and places. The next question is invariably, “What are you really thinking?” We’re not looking for a stream

of consciousness discussion, we’re asking the specifics: “What were you feeling during the events of the day? What were you excited about? What were you afraid of? What concerns arose in your heart? What are your secrets?” God knows the most secret aspects of our lives, especially the areas where we feel unknown, unnoticed or misunderstood. He knows what we feel and what we fear. But He wants us to invite Him into the deep parts of our hearts each step of the way.

Most people hold back in these areas. They’ve had experi- ences where they’ve shared their deepest secrets with another person, sometimes even a spouse, and found out later that those secrets were betrayed to others. Nothing hurts like an intimacy exposed. We learn that intimacy requires confidence. Telling our secrets involves more than simply transferring information. We can be sure that intimacy with Jesus is safe. He will not be- tray us, He will cover us. He will embrace us. He will keep our secrets.

And intimacy with Jesus is not a one-sided discussion. Jesus has secrets of His own. He has plans, feelings and emotions that involve us. Intimacy involves our knowledge of His secrets as well. He desires to share with us what He is thinking. As Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him…” Jesus desires to unveil His heart to us because He has confidence in us. It’s amazing to consider, but the sorts of things Jesus wants to share with us are not mundane. They are the things nearest to His heart—things not even the highest ranking angelic or demonic principalities and powers are aware of yet (Ephesians 3:10). Throughout eternity, Jesus will continue to tell us things that move His heart. God has called only the redeemed into intimacy with Him, not the angels. There is a boundary line the angels cannot cross in terms of experiencing God’s heart, though they wish they knew the things God has reserved for intimacy with humans (1 Peter 1:12).

The geometry term “ray” is useful in understanding the idea of intimacy with Jesus. A ray is a line that has a beginning point, but no end. Moving from left to right on the number line, a

ray begins and continues on in one direction eternally. Intimacy with Jesus is like that in a sense. Looking at a timeline, we can identify a point where we began to draw near to Him, to tell Him our secrets and listen carefully to His. This is the beginning of intimacy. It is different from human intimacy in that, while human intimacy is limited in scope, intimacy with God contin- ues forever. There will be points in eternity, millions and billions of years from now, when Jesus will draw you near and say, “Let me tell you another secret…” He’ll whisper it in your ear and it will be an entirely new thought to you. A billion years from now, He will still be a Creator, and He will still be the Lover of His people. The depth and length of His love is like a vast ocean that can never be exhausted.

There is nothing more exhilarating in our experience than our spirit touching this realm of intimacy with the Godhead. He is the uncreated God who is transcendent, infinite and wholly other than…yet we have been invited to come near Him. While everything we know about His majesty would seem to make Him unapproachable, His heart draws us closer. It is the ulti- mate peasant-to-princess story.

Having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith… (Hebrews 10:19-20)

If you live in a neighborhood with other houses nearby, you may develop friendships with those neighbors that go beyond the casual wave over the hedge. At some point, you may be invited to their house for coffee. When that happens, the rela- tionship shifts slightly. You were acquaintances when you were waving as you drove into your garage and shut the door. Having been invited into their house, you are much more likely to say you know them. In the same way, God is inviting us in—not to His kitchen, but into His very heart.

Human relationships that involve a measure of intimacy are complex. They are not impossible to navigate, but they

certainly have more facets than the three-minute interaction we might have with the person who serves our hamburger at a fast food restaurant. When we have been in deep relationship with someone for a period of time, we end up sharing the full range of our experience with them. The healthiest of marriages are defined by sharing in such a manner, and intimacy with Christ is based on this reality. To know Christ and be known by Him means we experience intimacy at levels we previously never imagined could take place. When invited, He invades every place of our hearts and says, “I want to live here, too. I want to know all there is to know about you.” He desires that all things hidden or private would be open before Him. In return, He re- veals the hidden things in His heart to us.

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