Shofar Stellenbosch | Our FatherExemplo

Devotional: The Desire of Our Father for Intimacy

Many people know about God, but they do not actually know God. It is not possible to know God unless He reveals Himself to us. The good news is that God wants to reveal Himself to us. He does this in the following ways:

• Through Creation (Colossians 1:16)
• Through our conscience (Romans 2:14-15)
• Through the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12)
• Through His Word (Hebrews 4:12)
• Through Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:6 – 11; Matthew 11:27)
• By His Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6 - 12)
• Through signs, wonders, and miracles (Mark 16:20)
• Through other believers (1 John 2:10)

The Hebrew word yada is translated as “to know” and means intimate knowledge. This talks about having first-hand experience (Jeremiah 9:23-24, James 4:8A, Jeremiah 29:12-13). Spending time with our Father means abiding in Him (John 15) and delighting ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4). Approaching our Father should be done in humility (1 Peter 5:6), solitude (Luke 5:16, Psalm 46:10), in yieldedness to Him (Romans 12:1), and freely accessing Him through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).

One of the most powerful lies we can believe is that God will reject us when we come to Him.

Some of the fruit of rejection are:

1. A feeling of unworthiness, inferiority and guilt
2. Rebellion
3. A deep search for love and acceptance
4. Rejecting other people
5. Questioning the love of God and others
6. A false identity
7. Depression
8. Homosexuality

Some reasons for feeling rejected are:

1. A message to a child that they are unwanted
2. Divorce or death of parents
3. Love not expressed in a way that was meaningful to the child
4. Parents withdrew love
5. The child is not the desired gender
6. Over-protection of the child
7. Peer pressure
8. Child’s performance not good enough

God wants honesty and not hypocrisy. We don’t have to tell God all the good things in our life, He desires the vulnerability in our hearts to share the bad things with Him too.

Reflective questions:

1. What is the result of abiding in God? (John 15, John 17:23,26)
2. List some of the things that are distracting you from intimacy with God.
3. Describe some areas where you have experienced rejection or the fear of rejection.
4. Bring these reasons for feeling to God and ask Him to heal you.