Saturday, November 20, 2010
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 1-3 and 1 Timothy 4
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 1-3 and 1 Timothy 4
THE LONGING FOR RELATIONSHIP
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 25:14 (NKJV) The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him...
Millions of people every day are searching for relationship in ungodly ways only to find shame. Having an intimate relationship with someone goes well beyond a physical union, it includes having enough confidence in the relationship to share the deepest parts of your heart (hopes, dreams, fears, failures, feelings, frustrations, etc). It’s about knowing the secrets of a person’s heart, that’s what an intimate relationship is really all about.
God knows the most secret aspects of our lives, especially areas in which we feel unnoticed, misunderstood or unknown. He wants to invite us to invite Him into the deep parts of our hearts. Often people have shared these areas with someone, a spouse or friend, and ended up betrayed, nothing hurts like this. But we can be sure that intimacy with Jesus is safe, He will not betray us, He will cover us, embrace us and keep our secrets. And this type of relationship with God is not one way, He has secrets of His own, plans, feelings and emotions that He desires to share with us. They are the things closest to His heart that even the angels are unaware of (1 Peter 1:12).
PRAYER AND MEDITATION
1. Have you ever shared the deepest part of your heart with someone only to be left betrayed? How has this affected the way you relate to Jesus? Are there areas in your life where you have trouble trusting God as a result of that betrayal?
2. In listening prayer, ask the Holy Spirit if you have any unconfessed offense towards anyone. If so, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what the first step is in forgiving them.
3. Thank the Lord for the safety that you can have in relationship with Him, that He never betrays. Ask Him to help you feel this way.
