Intimacy with God: Be Intentional Part 6

Our working definition of intimacy is a warm, personal, private friendship developed through a long association. 

The question we are working to answer in this blog series is this: What does intimacy with God look like? 

As I state each week, while this is not an exhaustive list, I believe intimacy comes through our times in prayer, worship, reading the Word, meditating on God, and soaking in the Lord’s presence. 

This is the final lesson on Intimacy with God. Today we will look at soaking in the Lord’s presence. Merriam Webster online Dictionary defines soak as: to become saturated by or as if by immersion.  

To “soak” in God’s presence is to rest in His love rather than to “strive” in prayer.i  Soaking involves setting aside time to rest in His presence. To listen to His heartbeat. There is no right or wrong way to soak in His presence, however, as stated above soaking is not intercession, it is resting and listening.   

Someone has said that soaking is like making pickles. When you take a cucumber and immerse it in pickling brine, the longer you leave it the more it begins to look, smell, and taste like a pickle. The same is true of soaking in the Lord’s presence. The longer/more often we soak the more we become changed and transformed to be like Christ.  

Like all the other steps of intimacy, soaking is deliberate and intentional. It begins with our choice to stop and rest in the presence of the King. We all have busy lives and schedules, however, as I have stated before, if we want to have intimacy with God, we must carve out time to spend with Him. An important aspect of this time should be soaking.  

Soaking, simply put, is quieting our minds, laying aside our cares, and focusing on Christ. For some of us this process might begin with listening to worship music and focusing on the truths we hear about God in the songs. For me, I enjoy listen to instrumental worship so I can focus my mind of the attributes of God rather than on the lyrics to the songs. However, sometimes I will wake with a worship song on my mind and will listen to it during my soaking time.  

The only way to reap the benefits of soaking is to soak. To get still and listen. During these intentional times of soaking, we grow spiritually, we find peace, and we receive revelation from the heart of God.   

First, during soaking we continue to grow spiritually to be more like Christ. For the Christian, heaven is not a goal; it is a destination. The goal is that “Christ be formed in you” to use the words of the apostle Paul.ii Galatians 4:19, Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I‘m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. (NLT) 

Romans 8:29, For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (NLT) 

2 Corinthians 3:18, So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT) 

In these verses we see that God’s desire is to transform us into the image and likeness of Christ. When you love someone, spending time with them is a priority. It is not about what you are doing, it is about being together.  The same is true with the Father.  

I am sure many of you have seen the pictures of dogs and their owners with the caption, “The longer they are together the more they look alike.” While we may laugh at this, the concept is true.  The more time we spend soaking in the presence of God the more we begin to look like Jesus.  Our character begins to change, and we become more like Him.  Our attitudes, desires, motivations, love… every part of us is changed to be like Christ.   

Second, during soaking we find true peace. I do not know about you, but I do not function in an atmosphere of chaos. I thrive on peace and when it is missing, I look for the reason.  In Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.   Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (NLT) 

We know that confusion and chaos come from the enemy. 1 Corinthians 14:33, For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (KNJV) Further, in John 14:27 we read the word of Jesus to his disciples, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (NLT) 

I am not saying here that chaos and confusion might not be happening all around us, what I am saying is that when we find ourselves in the middle of it, we can run to the Father and sit in His presence. As we do, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) 

Jesus is our shepherd and like all good shepherds, He leads us into peace. Psalm 23:1-3, The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. (NLT) Peace was His idea!  It is His desire for His children.   

Finally, during soaking we receive revelation from the heart of God. 2 Peter 3:18, But grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory (honor, majesty, splendor), both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (AMP) 

Ephesians 1:17-18, [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones). (AMPC) 

God desires to impart His wisdom, knowledge, and revelation to us, however, if we do not spend time listening to Him, we will not receive it. Soaking allows our minds and hearts to become still so we can hear His voice undisturbed by the voices and noise that usually surrounds us.  

1 Kings 19:11-13a, “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. (NLT) 

To hear His voice, we often need to be still. Soaking allows us to do just that. Psalm 46:10a, “Be still, and know that I am God! (NLT)  

During our times of soaking in God’s presence we grow spiritually, we find peace, and we receive revelation from the heart of God. Let us set aside time to soak, becoming totally saturated with Jesus!!!!! 

Works Cited: 

i https://sidroth.org/articles/soaking-his-presence/# 

ii https://renovare.org/articles/becoming-like-christ