Intimacy.

What an amazing past few days!  I feel Jesus really pressing into my heart and into the heart of this upcoming school in April and it is simply exciting and humbling to even be a part of it.  The idea behind everything I believe the Lord is saying right now in this season is the thought of "intimacy."  I really feel Him saying "Just come and draw near.  Spend time with me.  Get to know my heart."  The best part about when He asks me to draw near and I draw near is the fact that He is faithful to His promises and He draws closer to me.  He promises that when we press into Him, He presses into us.  There are so many facets and traits to God's character but I absolutely am enthralled with this one.  The gentle soft voice that asks us to "come and be."  It reminds me of my favorite bible verse (as of right now at least).

Psalms 27:4  "The one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek most, is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple."  


David has one thing and one thing only on his mind:  that he may dwell in the house of the Lord for the rest of his days.  Nothing else mattered because He had found something so absolutely, indescribably full and complete that he longed for it above everything.  Christ knows this when He asks us to draw near.  He knows the true desire of our hearts and knows the fulfillment of our lives that He has waiting for us, in Him.  But He gives us the opportunity to choose and actively pursue in through our own will.  Thank you for your grace Lord!

There is a song by Cory Asbury that we sang in worship this morning that has just been ringing in my head continually all day.  It says:

'We wait for you. We wait for you. We wait for you.. to walk in the room.
Here we are, standing in your presence. Here we are, standing in your presence.
Shekinah glory come down. Shekinah glory come down.
Release the fullness of your spirit, Shekinah glory come.'

So good.  So often we feel like we need to strive and achieve the Lord's presence and love when in reality He asks us to simply wait upon Him.  Be still. Be intimate.  It's in the secret place that He speaks to us and shows us more of His character and heart for us and others.  I just love the image of a perfect Savior bidding us 'come and be with me. Come as you are because who you are is perfect my child.'  What love and grace and mercy like this does not deserve our adoration and worship?  Ever since the last few weeks I spent I had at home the Lord has been speaking to me about identity and intimacy.  Knowing who we are in Him is the foundation of our faith and allows us to become intimate with Him.  And intimacy with Him is the true purpose of our lives and the starting point for everything we do.  Our Lord does not call and long for millions of missionaries he longs for millions of passionate radical individuals who are intimate with his heart and Spirit.  When we are intimate with Him, good and proper fruit naturally flows forth from our lives.  But it starts with identity and intimacy.  Frankly it ends there too.

Something I heard while listening to one of Andy Byrd's podcasts the other day blew me away.

The only reason we don't surrender to God is because we haven't been told who He is.


If we actually knew God fully and truly there is no question we would surrender our full lives to Him because He is life. He is love.  He is everything.  We are nothing without Him. period. My prayer for our school is that God would continually restore our passion to tell our students and everyone around this campus and community more and more the nature of God and the lovingness of our Savior Jesus.

God bless talk to you all soon!