All Staff Devotion

Intimate conversations with God

Consistently communicating with God through adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

I’ve always struggled with the word intimate and intimacy. It’s kind of like the word moist, it just doesn’t sit well with me.

But intimacy is not a dirty word. It’s not even about what most of us think about when we think about intimacy. That’s only a part of it and really a consequence of true intimacy.

Intimacy is about connection. It’s about knowing what the other person is thinking and feeling without having to ask.

Intimacy is about being able to bare you soul without judgement or rejection.

Naturally, when it comes to intimacy, we think of a husband and wife. Because intimacy is crucial for a strong marriage.

But intimacy can be had in platonic relationships.

Look at the story of David and Jonathan in the Bible.

Look at Ruth and Naomi.

For some modern examples, look at sports teams or even work places. Look at orchestra.

Intimacy is about trust in the other person and being on the same page and having that person’s back no matter what.

So when it comes to having intimate conversations with God, it starts with knowing, not just believing, that we can have that kind of relationship with God in the first place. And at the same time, knowing that intimacy leads to unity with everything that is united to that intimacy.

It can be a common mission, vision or values. In a family, even children can be united to the intimacy of their parents. That’s why it doesn’t matter if you try to hide your fights from your kids and play like everything is fine, the lack of intimacy in a family affects the children in negative ways.

Intimacy is about unity. In the most intimate conversation recorded in the Bible, Jesus prays to the father for unity.

he prays for unity between Himself and the father.

He prays for unity between the Godhead and the people.

And He prays for unity among God’s people.

Let’s read.

John 17:20–24 ESV

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

At North Hills, we want to have an intimate, unified Church, School and Preschool.

We want to be on the same page. We want to have each other’s back.

We want to trust that when we need help that when we ask for it it will be granted.

We want to know that when we express our concerns that we will be heard.

We want to be a family at North Hills.

And the only way we can do that is if it starts with each of us individually starting with intimate conversations with God.

How is your prayer life?

What do you pray for?

What is your hearts desire?

Now think about this school year? What is your biggest prayer for yourself, your fellow staff, your students, the parents, the community?

One of the best things that we can do is to pray for each other.