The
most important goal we could have in life is to be with Jesus. That is
our purpose -- to bring Him glory, to love Him, to worship Him, and to
do all these things closely, in His lap or at His feet. His desire is
for us to know Him; out of that knowing comes everything we could ever
possibly do for Him.
 ". . .As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you." -- Isaiah 62:5
He
longs -- not just desires or wants, but longs -- to be intimate with
us. God desires to be personally known by us, just as a young man
desires to know and be known by the woman he loves.
The
word marriage implies intimacy, and intimacy implies vulnerability. If
a marriage does not involve these two profoundly personal and often
frightening sentiments, it is only an indifferent contract between two
people who know each other's name and can recognize the other's face --
nothing more. It produces nothing of worth; it is just barely beyond
the acquaintance level.
A
true marriage is a union of one spirit with another. It is a deeply
intimate binding of two souls, where more than just thoughts and
secrets are shared. God wants to have relationship with His creation.
He yearns to have a true marriage with us. Unlike the pagan deities of
ancient history, who were afraid to reveal even their names should
humankind exert power over them, God invites us beyond anything we
could hope for or imagine: He invites us to truly know Him.
God is Looking for a Song-of-Songs Relationship
He
invites us into His vulnerability. To some extent, many of us
understand that God desires a close relationship with His children.
We've read it before. We've heard long, detailed sermons about the
passionate, intimate relationship Jesus longs to have with us; He calls
us His bride numerous times in Scripture.
However,
an agreement of our mind and heart must take place before we can truly
understand the intimacy God longs for. It is an intimacy that, though
it includes our mind, is found in our heart -- in the consuming,
living, breathing, tender part of us. It is not intimacy that politely
asks for a few moments of your morning. It is not intimacy that humbly
requests you read a chapter of the Bible each night before you go to
bed.
Jesus
is not a groom who is content to merely shake His bride's hand after
the ceremony instead of sealing the union of their souls with a kiss.
No, what God is looking for is a Song-of-Songs relationship with His
people. The hero and heroine in that story didn't lead "normal" lives,
as normal lives go. They dared to yearn for what others didn't have.
They dared to not be content, but stepped out of their comfort zones --
and were bowled over by passion and extravagance. Both were totally
ruined by what their minds didn't understand, but their hearts loved.
May we dare for such a thing as intimacy with God.
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