DEVELOPING AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT KEEPS YOU
GOD-CENTERED & DOING HIS WILL FOREVER
Do you know of any Christians who were once on-fire for God,
but today are spiritually cold? Do you know
of any believers who were once zealous and enthusiastic in serving the Lord,
but are now lukewarm, indifferent, or apathetic spiritually? Or, do you know of any people who were once
being trained in full-time ministry and evangelizing the lost, but today
couldn’t care less about the Great Commission of making disciples of all the
nations, seeking and saving the lost, or building up believers into
Christlikeness? Do you know of any
Christians whose goal was to win the world for Christ, but today are only
giving some token service to Him? What
do you think happened to them? Why are
they where they are at? And how about
you? Where do you think you’ll be at
spiritually and ministry-wise 2 or 5 or 10 years from now? Like one of them? Or, will you, by the grace of God, be a
spiritually-hot finisher, making disciples and evangelizing the lost till the
day you die? If you want to be a
fruitful, spiritual finisher, then you need to have a consistently close
relationship with God. But how can we
experience such a personal, life-long relation with the Almighty? Let’s learn from someone who had one.
In 1 Sam. 13:14, it states, “The Lord sought out for Himself
a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His
people…” Then, in Acts 13:22, God says,
“I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart…” Could God say this about you? Are you the kind of person God really likes
(not just loves) and wants to use as a tool for furthering His kingdom? Why do you think David was a man after God’s
own heart? Let’s find out how this
intimate relationship developed.
First, it developed through David getting to know
God.
As a shepherd boy, David experientially knew both the power
and protection of God when he killed both a lion and a bear (which had taken a
lamb from David’s flock). This was the
basis of David’s confidence in defeating the giant Goliath, as David knew God
to be “the living God” in his experience (1 Sam.
How about you? Are
you getting to know God more intimately by reading for yourself and meditating
upon His word, the Bible? And through
the Bible teachings from others? And
through your own personal experiences of God in your life’s circumstances? Does it drive you into reading the Bible?
Another factor that played a part in the
development of an intimate relation between David and God was David’s wanting
this kind of a close relationship.
In Psalm 63:1, 8 David says, “O God, You are my God; I shall
seek you earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You… my soul
clings to You…” In Psa. 25:4, 5 David
says, “Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths… for You I wait all
the day.” And in Psa. 143:6 David says,
“My soul longs for You, as a parched land.”
A third factor in David’s having a close relation
with God was his meditating upon God.
In Psalm 145:5 David says, “On the glorious splendor of Your
majesty, and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” Again in Psa. 63:6 David says, “When I
remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches…” How about you? Do you often think about God, about His
majesty, attributes, and wonderful works?
Is that what you think about when you’re lying in bed at night? Or, do you meditate on selfish dreams or
lustful thoughts? If you’re serious
about a close relation with God, you’ll think on Him.
A fourth factor in building an intimate relation
with God is sharing your thoughts and feelings, and questions with Him.
In Psalm 62:8, David says, “…Pour out your heart before
Him…” And David certainly did just
that. Let’s see several examples.
In
2 Sam. 7:18-29, David, king of Israel, expresses his thoughts and feelings with
God when he says, “…You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and
there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears…
the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it
forever… that Your name may be magnified forever… Your words are truth.” In 2 Sam. 22:1-51, David shares a song with
God, “The Lord is my rock and fortress and my deliverer… (v. 2), I cried to my
God, and from His temple He heard my voice (v. 7)…the Lord was my support…(v.
19), He rescued me because He delighted in me (v. 20)…You are my lamp, O Lord,
illuminating my darkness (v. 29)…By my God I can leap over a wall (v. 30)…As
for God, His way is blameless (v. 31)…He trains my hand for battle (v.35)…You
have girded me with strength for battle (v. 40)…You have kept me as head of the
nations (v. 44)…I will give thanks to You…and I will sing praises to Your name
(v. 50).” Do you magnify the Lord for
Who He is? Do you credit Him for the
position you’re in or the successes you have?
Do you thank Him for protecting and delivering you from dangers and
harm?
In 2 Sam. 24:10, 17, David said to the Lord, “I have sinned
greatly in what I have done. But now, O
Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very
foolishly.” “Behold, it is I who have
sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they
done? Please let Your hand be against me
and against my father’s house.” Are you
that honest and open with God about your sins?
Do you humbly confess them and take full responsibility for them, so
that no one else suffers from God because of them?
Again in Psalm 51, we find David pouring out his heart
before God because of his adulterous sin, ”Be gracious to me, O God, according
to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out
my transgression. Wash me thoroughly
from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgression, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned, and
done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak, and
blameless when You judge…Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a
steadfast spirit within me…restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain
me with a willing spirit…You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would
give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a
broken and contrite heart…” Is this your
attitude toward the sins you commit, which are always against God ultimately?
David continues to pour out his heart in Psalm 5, “…Consider
my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry
for help, my king and my God, for to You I pray…In the morning, I will order my
prayer to You and eagerly watch…No evil dwells with You…You hate all who do
iniquity…O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness…There is nothing reliable in
what they say; their inward part is destruction…They flatter with their
tongue…thrust them out for they are rebellious against You…” Do you ever talk with God like this? If not, it may indicate that you don’t have a
close relationship with God.
In Psalm 4, David says, “Answer me when I call, O God of my
righteousness! You have relieved me in
my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer…The Lord hears when I call to
Him…You have put gladness in my heart…In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
for You alone, O Lord, do make me to dwell in safety.” Have you ever said anything like this to
God? If not, what’s keeping you from
doing so?
In Psalm 6, David prays, “O Lord, for I am pining away; heal
me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed.
And my soul is greatly dismayed; but You, O Lord – how long? Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; save me
because of Your lovingkindness…I am weary with my sighing; every night I make
my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears.
My eye has wasted away with grief; it has become old because of all my
adversaries.” Do you share with God your
burdens and feelings of hurt or injustice done to you? Or, do you bottle them up and let them fester
into bitterness, depression, or worry?
In Psalm 8, David continues to share his thoughts and
feelings with God, “O Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who has
displayed Your splendor above the heavens!…When I consider Your heavens, the
work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is
man that You take thought of him?…that You care for him?…You make him to rule
over the works of Your hands…” Do you
feel this way too? If so, are you
sharing them with God?
Then, in Psalm 10, David prays, “Why do You stand afar off,
O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in
times of trouble? In pride the wicked
hotly pursue the afflicted; let them be caught in the plots which they have
devised…Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer…vindicate the orphan and
the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may cause terror no more.” Do you
share your thoughts with God about the evils of your society, community, or
nation? Or, do you only complain to
others about the crime, drugs, violence, and corruption in your society?
David continues to share his feelings with God in Psalm 13,
“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me
forever? How long will You hide Your
face from me?…Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God; enlighten my eyes…I have
trusted in Your lovingkindness, my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” Have you ever humbly questioned God about
what He does or doesn’t do? Do you have
the kind of close relation with God that gives you the freedom to? And do you express your trust in Him in spite
of unanswered questions?
In Psalm 16:11, David says to God, “In Your presence is
fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forever.” Do you share with God your looking forward to
being in heaven with Him and that you anticipate complete joy in His presence,
or do you love this world so much that you don’t want to be with Him in heaven
right now? Or, do you think heaven is
going to be boring?
David goes on to say in Psalm 17, “Give ear to my prayer,
which is not from deceitful lips…You have tried my heart…You have tested me and
found no evil device…my steps have held fast to Your paths…Wondrously show Your
lovingkindness…Hide me in the shadow of Your wings from the wicked…they have
closed their unfeeling heart…they set their eyes to cast us down…Deliver my
soul…I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (in heaven). Do you ever try to fake God out in prayer by
telling Him lies about others or about yourself? Could you honestly say to God that He’s
tested you and found no evil plans or thoughts toward others? Have you ever told God that you’ll be
satisfied in heaven simply because you’ll be righteous like Him? Or, does that thought bore you?
Again David shares his feelings in Psalm 18:1, “I love you,
O Lord, my strength…” When was the last
time you told God that you loved Him? Do
you tell Him that very often? Why?
In Psalm 19:13, 14, David asks God to “keep back His servant
from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me…Let the words of my mouth and
the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my
redeemer.” Do you ask God to help you
from committing willful sins? And do you
share with God that you want your words and thoughts to be acceptable to
Him? If not, will you?
Again David pours out his heart to God in Psalm 22, “My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me? …O my God, I cry by day, but You don’t
answer; and by night, but I have no rest.
Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of
In Psalm 25, David says, “To You, O Lord, I lift up my
soul. O my God, in You I trust… Teach me
Your paths. Lead me in Your truth… For
You I wait all the day… Do not remember the sins of my youth or my
transgressions; according to Your lovingkindness remember me, for Your
goodness’ sake, O Lord… Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and
afflicted. The troubles of my heart are
enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.
Look upon my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins… Let
integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.” Do you tell God you trust Him in spite of the
troubles you have? Do you ask Him to
teach you His will and ways more clearly?
Do you let him know that at times you’re lonely? And do you wait upon Him through all of this,
even if His timetable is different and slower than what you’d like?
In Psalm 30:11, 12, David says, “You have turned my mourning
into dancing… that my soul may sing praise to You, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You
forever.” How about your prayer
life? How often and how much of your
communication with God is filled with thanks?
Or, do you spend most of your conversation with God just asking for
things on a list?
In Psalm 35:4, 19, 28, David says, “Let those be ashamed and
dishonored who seek my life; let those be turned back and humiliated who devise
evil against me… Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over
me; neither let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously… My tongue
shall declare Your righteousness and Your praise all day long.” Wow!
Would you declare God’s righteousness and praise Him all day long if people
were out to kill you? Do you pour out
your fears, worries, and desires to the Lord, yet praise Him too?
In Psalm 36:5-7, David says, “Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies, Your
righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great
deep. O Lord, You preserve man and
beast. How precious is Your
lovingkindness, O God.” Do you take the
time to share with God your recognition of His attributes? And do you compliment him for them? Why?
In Psalm 38, David says, “There is no health in my bones
because of my sin… Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not
hidden from You. My heart throbs, my
strength fails me; and the light in my eyes, even that has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from
my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off.
Those who seek my life lay snares for me... I hope in You, O Lord; You
will answer... Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation." Do you pour out your heart like this to
God? If not, what will it take for you
to be able to?
In Psalm 39, David says, “Lord, make me to know my end, and
what is the extent of my days, let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as
handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight. Surely, every man at his best is a mere
breath… He amasses riches, and does not know who will gather them… And now,
Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in
you… Remove Your plague from me; because of the opposition of Your hand, I am
perishing… Do not be silent to my tears.”
Have you ever asked God to remind you of how short your life is, so that
you don’t waste your life pursuing riches?
And have you recently told God that it’s for Him that you wait, who
you’re living for, that He’s your hope?
In Psalm 40:8, David shares, “I delight to do Your will, O
my God; Your law is within my heart.” Do
you share with God that you delight to do His will, to obey His commands? To evangelize and build up believers into
Christ-like maturity? If not, will you,
if it’s true?
In Psalm 56, David says, “When I am afraid, I will put my
trust in You.” Have you ever shared this
with God? Can you talk with God as a
close friend?
In Psalm 65, David says, “How blessed is the one whom You
choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts… You establish the
mountain by Your strength, being girded with might; You still the roaring of
the seas… and the tumult of the peoples.
You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;
You greatly enrich it.” Do you express
to God your recognition of His creating and sustaining the earth? Of His power and care?
Again, in Psalm 69, David pours out his heart, “Those who
hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; those who would
destroy me are powerful… May those who seek You not be dishonored through me…
Those who sit in the gate talk about me.
Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good… Reproach has broken
my heart, and I am so sick. And I looked
for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none… I am
afflicted and in pain; May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high. I will praise the name of God with song, and
magnify Him with thanks.” Have you ever
shared with God your broken heart, your inner sickness of soul, your need yet
lack of human comfort and sympathy, your pain, and yet your praise of God in
spite of all these things?
In Psalm 71, David says, “You are my confidence from my
youth. By You I have been sustained from
my birth… Do not cast me off in time of old age; do not forsake me when my
strength fails.” Do you share with God
your concerns and fears, such as what will happen to you when you get old? And do you tell Him that He is your
confidence?
In Psalm 86, David says, “For You, Lord, are good and ready
to forgive… There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord… You are great… You
alone are God… Unite my heart to fear Your name… You are a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.” Do you share with God your recognition of His
many marvelous attributes? If not, will
you?
In Psalm 101, David says, “I will set no worthless thing
before my eyes. No one who has an
arrogant heart will I endure… He who walks in a blameless way is the one who
will minister to me… He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my
house.” Do you share with God the kind
of people you do and don’t want to keep company with? Why do you think David bothered to share this
with God? What’s the purpose of personal
communication?
Again, in Psalm 109, David shares, “They have spoken against
me with a lying tongue… with words of hatred… In return for my love they act as
accusers; but I am in prayer… Let his days be few… Let his children be
fatherless, and his wife a widow… Deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake… for
I am afflicted and needy, and my heart is wounded within me… My knees are weak
from fasting… With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord.” When people do bad things to you unfairly, do
you worry or get revenge, or do you share with God your situation, and let Him
deal with the people? Do you ever admit
to God your neediness and/or wounded heart, or do you feel that you shouldn’t
bother God with such issues? Do you ever
get mad at God and so choose to not talk with Him because He isn’t doing
anything about your circumstances? Or,
do you give abundant thanks to the Lord for who He is in spite of your
situation?
In Psalm 139, David says, “You are intimately acquainted
with all my ways. Even before there is a
word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before and
laid Your hand upon me… If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed
in Sheol, behold, You are there… Darkness and light are alike to You… For You
did form my inward parts; You did weave me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made… How precious are your thoughts to me, O God… Search me, O
God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there
be any hurtful/wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Do you acknowledge to God his omniscience,
protection, omnipresence, and wonderful creation of you? And are you inviting God to see if there’s
any bad attitudes in you that you want Him to make you aware of? Also, are you asking God to lead you in life,
or are you simply doing what you want in life?
Finally, in Psalm 141, David says, “Set a guard, O Lord,
over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips… Let the righteous smite me
in kindness and reprove me…” How about
you? Are you asking God to help you
think before you speak? Are you asking
God for godly/spiritual people to correct you when you’re in sin, error, or
making bad decisions?
By now, have you seen the intimate relationship David developed
through sharing his thoughts, feelings, and questions with God? Will you be as well?
A fifth factor in establishing a close relation
with God is through having a Spirit-controlled or influenced life.
In 1 Samuel 16:13, it says, “…and the Spirit of the Lord
came mightily upon David from that day forward” (That day was when David was
still a shepherd boy, and he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king.). Having a life controlled or influenced by
God’s Spirit while still a youth, aided in David’s close relation with
God. How about you? Are you consistently controlled by the Holy
Spirit? If you want a close relation
with God, then choose to have God’s Spirit control your entire life. Ask Him to do so.
A sixth factor in establishing a close relation
with God is through pleasing actions done in love.
First, David did this by trusting God.
In fact, in Psalm 9:10, David says, “And those who know your name will
put their trust in You.” Truly knowing
God naturally leads to trusting God. If
you have a hard time trusting God, it’s because you don’t know Him well. David repeatedly expresses his trust in God
in Psalms 13:5; 21:7; 25:2; 26:1; 28:7; 31:6, 14; 52:8; 55:23; 86:2; 143:8.
David trusted God for his future as to where he
should go. After king Saul’s death, God told David to got
to Hebron in Judah, and David trusted God with that decision (2 Sam. 2:1, 2)
even though the people of Israel had previously been seeking David’s death (1
Sam. 27:1). David also trusted God for
his future as to what he should do. In 1
Sam. 26:8ff, we see that David had the opportunity of killing his enemy Saul
(or having him killed by his soldiers), but David didn’t because he trusted
that God would deal with Saul and then make David king (1 Sam. 24:4-7, 20-22). How about you?
Are you trusting God with your future as to where you should go/live and
what you should do in life, and when?
Or, are you trying to run ahead of God, making your own self-centered
decisions about where you’re going to move, or what you’re going to do?
David also trusted God for his provisions, his
necessities in life. As David says in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want” (or lack any necessity, like food and water). David reiterates this idea in 34:9, 10. Are you trusting God to provide your
necessities, especially if you’re seeking Him and fearing/obeying (Prov.
David also trusted God for his protection: from the giant Goliath (1 Sam. 17:36, 37, 45-49), from the
Amalekites (1 Sam. 30:8, 17-19, 23), from the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:17-25),
from his rebellious son Absalom (Psa. 3:1-6), and from his enemies in general
(Psa. 13:3-5; 27:1-3; 56:3, 4, 11; 4:8).
Are you trusting God to protect you, especially if you’re doing His
will, being where He wants you?
Second, David expressed his pleasing actions by obeying God.
As God Himself said in Acts 13:22, “I have found David a man after My
heart, who will do all My will.” Could
God say this about you, that you will do all His will?
To obey God is to experientially know God, and to obey God
is to love God, and to love God is to obey Him, and to please God is to trust
Him, and to trust Him is to obey Him, and to obey God is to be a man after
God’s heart, as 1 Jn. 2:3, 5; 5:3; Heb. 11:6; James 2:26; and Acts 13:22 say. David obeyed God by walking in God’s truth
(Psa. 26:3), by seeking God (Psa. 27:8), by not wanting to know, through
experience, any evil (Psa. 101:3-5), by doing God’s will (Psa. 40:8), by
fighting against the Philistines even though his army didn’t want to (1 Sam.
23:2-5), by fighting the Amalekites even though he was greatly outnumbered (1
Sam. 30:8, 10, 16, 17), by going to Hebron as God said (2 Sam. 2:1, 2), by
fighting the Philistines as God directed (2 Sam. 5:19, 20, 23-25), by keeping
the Lord’s ways (2 Sam. 22:22-24), and by erecting an altar to the Lord as God
directed (2 Sam. 24:19, 25).
Are you obeying everything that you know God wants you to do
or not do as found in the Bible? If you
want to be a man after God’s heart, then you’ll obey Him and even enjoy it (1
Jn. 5:3). And those who maintain an
intimate relation with God will be the ones who stay in the ministry of
evangelism and discipleship for a lifetime since they know it’s the will and
purpose of God for every Christian (Matt. 28:19, 20 with Acts 10:42, 43; Eph.
4:11-13; Phil. 2:2 with 1:27; 2 Tim. 2:2; 4:5; Phil. 4:9 with 1:12-18 and Acts
13:47; Lk. 19:10), and they want to obey God because they love Him. Can you say along with David in Psa. 40:8, “I
delight to do Your will, O My God; Your Law (God’s Word/Bible) is within my
heart”? Remember, God is intimate with
the upright (Prov.
Third, David expressed his pleasing actions to God by being
humble. And humility helps in establishing a close
relation with God, as the Lord Himself says in Isa. 66:2, “…But to this one I
will look (find favor), to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who
trembles at My word.”
And David certainly found favor in God’s sight (2 Sam.
Finally, David expressed his pleasing actions to God by seeking
God’s advice. In 1 Sam. 23:2 and 2 Sam. 5:19, 23, David
asks God whether he should attack the Philistines. David, who was a mighty warrior (1 Sam. 19:8;
18:7), didn’t just rush into battles in his own strength, rather he sought
God’s advice. In 1 Sam. 23:10-12, David
asks God whether the people of Keilah would deliver him into the hands of king
Saul. David, here, doesn’t assume
anything in his own human logic, rather he checks things out with God. Again, in 1 Sam. 30:8, David asks God if he
should pursue attacking the Amalekites.
Past successes didn’t promote self-dependence on David’s part, rather he
continued to seek God’s advice. Then, in
2 Sam. 2:1, David asks God if he should move to one of the cities in
David concludes his life still doing the will of God, being
a righteous king of
1 Chron. 28:1, 7-9 says that David assembled all the leaders
of Israel and told them the following: God had said that David was still
performing His commandments and ordinances (v. 7), that they (Israel’s leaders)
should observe and seek after all the commandments of God (v. 8), and that
Solomon should know God and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind (v.
9). And in 29:10-20, David blesses the
Lord in the sight of all the assembly and says, “Yours, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty,
indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion,
O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all … we thank You and praise Your
glorious name … give to Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments … to
do them all…” Then David said to all the
assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.”
Then, in 2 Sam. 23:1-7, David gives his last words of which the
following is a part, “…the Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on
my tongue.” And God said to David, you
“rule over men righteously, you rule in the fear of God and are as the light of
the morning…” God was saying that David
had ruled righteously. Then 1 Chron.
29:28 concludes with these words, “then David died in a ripe old age, full of
days, riches, and honor…”
Will God be able to say this about your life, that you were
keeping His commandments to the end of your life? Will you still be doing the will of God until
the day you die – evangelizing, building up believers into Christlikeness, and
living a holy/godly life? You can, if you
develop and maintain a close relationship with God through knowing Him both
through Scripture and in life’s experiences, wanting Him, meditating upon Him,
being Spirit-controlled, sharing your thoughts and feelings with Him, trusting
Him, being humble, seeking His advice, and obeying Him.
The question now is, “Will you do these
things wholeheartedly, starting now?”