Intimacy with God: The Key to a Strong Growing Faith

Intimacy with God creates an unbreakable tie to His love and peace. It is the answer to complete fulfillment.

It has been an odd season.

However, it feels strange because we stand upon the precipice of change, a unique period when the Spirit of the Lord moves powerfully and intimately, speaking to the Bride of Christ.

The Lord draws hearts to Himself so we may know Him intimately.

Intimacy with God is His invitation, filled with wonder. He invites us to discover Him beyond His works, instead drawing our eyes from His hands to lock eyes with Him.

He invites us to follow in the footsteps of the apostle John, nestling our heads on His chest to experience the beat of His heart.

It is a season of seeking His face and living with an awareness of His countenance.

As believers, we are called to testify of God’s acts, embody a deeper understanding of His mind, and become vessels that reflect Him in the world.

In this season, I—perhaps like many of you—find myself drawn ever nearer to the Lord, being positioned, like Mary, to sit at His feet, to practice the sacred art of stillness, and to behold Him.

It is no small wonder that in this very posture, we find yet another saint who felt the weight of this holy summons—David, a man after God’s own heart, who, amid great distress, uttered these words of longing:

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.”

Psalms 27:4

What is Intimacy With God

 Lately, I have been walking through a deep and weighty season—one marked by a holy heaviness, a stirring in the Spirit that is both tender and unrelenting.

Have you felt it, too? That sacred pull and awareness pressing upon the soul, beckoning us to intimacy with God to behold and abide? It is as if the Lord is whispering, “Come closer. Linger longer. Be still and know.”

During this time, I clung to every morsel of Scripture, taking time to pause more often and allow the Word to settle deeply within me.

At times, it felt as though soaking stirred more questions.

At other times, there was a resolution, a cessation from striving, whereby I accepted His invitation to draw near, sit, listen, and wait with great expectation.

In this season, I have realized that times of refreshing and healing are the birthplace of acknowledging Him in all our ways. They are often wrapped in the furnace of affliction, suffering, and silence.

In this place, whatever we have trusted apart from Him is exposed, and the necessary discipline of adjustment in focus to see Him and Him only as our refuge, a fortress in the weariness, the source of blessing, awakens within, rendering a soul eager to abide.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalms 91:1

Oh, to dwell and find intimacy with God—to make our home in Him, to rest beneath the shelter of His wings, where, in the stillness, He speaks.

Here, I am learning to steward the miracles found in everyday situations.

I am privy to the wonderful truth that, in His wisdom and kindness, the Lord prepares a feast for us long before the battle begins.

Through intimacy with God and drawing near, He anchors our hearts through his presence. So when the winds of adversity blow, we do not faint.

Instead, we stand firm because He is our sustenance. I attest to this in my present season.

Intimacy With God Helps Us Trust Him

His invitation to intimacy and to trust more deeply became even more tangible when I recently faced a health challenge—shingles.

Shingles had caused nerve irritation, whereby lingering migraine headaches appeared, something I had never experienced before.

I found myself on a regimen of Gabapentin, Imitrex, Zofran, and fluids to manage the symptoms initially.

The hardest part? I had been on a successful weight-loss journey, only to have it abruptly halted when my workouts had to stop. I had once felt like progress now seemed like a setback, and I grieved the momentum I had lost.

The disappointment weighed heavily, but it wasn’t just that—brain fog from both the headaches and the medication made even the simplest tasks at work feel insurmountable.

At one point, the symptoms became so severe that my doctor recommended a CT scan.

I could feel the grip of depression tightening, the familiar shadow of anxiety creeping back in—something I thought I had left behind.

Uncertainty clouded my path, yet in that valley, I was reminded: Jesus is the Door in our Valley of Achor, the way through even our deepest troubles.

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalms 16:11

In all honesty, it wasn’t easy at first. My husband remained steadfast through it all, reminding me of the Scriptures.

In a previous season, I learned the importance of speaking life.

This season, we were resolute in speaking life, declaring the healing Jesus purchased with His body.

Friend, proclaiming something contrary to your feelings is a test of faith.

The enemy will whisper that even the proclamation is a lie, that you are sinning, attempting to will things to happen, or trying to force the Lord’s hand.

I cannot begin to tell you the fierceness of the battle that raged within my mind. The enemy’s words were a lie.

Though my present reality involved experiencing searing pain and a nervous system failing to cooperate, it was in these very moments when my faith felt most fragile that I resolved to speak the word of God.

When I couldn’t speak the word, I leaned into the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to pray for me. I relied on praying in the Spirit, allowing Him to be my strength and wellspring of grace.

I confidently declare: Jesus is my portion, my inheritance.

Friend, I encourage you to reach the same resolve and declare it in the midst of the storm.

In His presence, I found comfort—an anchor securing me to the unwavering promises of God.

Though the road was painful and, at times, very intense, I praise the Lord for the healing that transpired.

By His grace, my CAT scan came back normal as well.

And though the journey continues, I walk forward, trusting in the One who sustains me—body, mind, soul, and spirit.

Intimacy With God: Encountering His Face

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. Psalm 103:7 

During this season, I discovered that even more than physical healing, I witnessed God’s nearness in profound ways.

I no longer looked for the outcome but was invited to understand our Lord’s ways and seek His face.

His breath through the Word was palpable in the darkest moments and profoundly gave me life.

During this time of being pressed in, a series of miracles unfolded, reinforcing His presence and voice.

Amid this storm, He was drawing me even deeper to become a woman of His presence.

I am learning that God’s ways shape how we see our next moments, make our subsequent decisions, and take our next steps.

Everything, and I do mean every detail, is essential to Him in equipping us not only now but for eternity with Him.

“But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.”

Psalms 73:28

A deep stirring in my heart as I immerse myself in the Scriptures—a fire in my bones that ignites my faith and transforms how I embrace each season.

Though the outcome of my health challenge was excellent, His Presence is everything.

Amid life’s storms, our anchor is the Lord’s nearness. His presence is our comfort and refuge—a safe harbor where we rest and our souls are refreshed.  God’s presence is our strength and sustaining grace.

Our journey goes from seeking to dwelling, from striving to find Him to recognizing He is ever-present.

His invitation is not merely to witness His works but to abide in His love, to know His heart, and to see His face.

As I continue walking through this season, I do so with a heart anchored in His presence, trusting that He is both my Healer and my Portion.

Perhaps you, too, find yourself in a place of longing, a season of refining, or a moment where the weight of life feels overwhelming.

I want to encourage you. He is right where you are, whispering, “Come closer. Linger longer. Be still and know.”

Friend, may we be a people who do not just seek temporary relief but embrace the eternal reality of dwelling in Him. For in His presence, we find the fullness of joy, the depth of peace, and the unshakable assurance that we are held—today, tomorrow, and forevermore.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Isaiah 43:2

She was awakened by His invitation and drawn to His breath. She inclined her ears to His word, and He refined her heart.

She embraced the season of stillness, experiencing peace beyond measure. In awe, she lingered in His presence and arose a woman of His presence.

Selah

Intimacy With God Reflection

If you seek intimacy with God, consider these questions to ponder.

• What does it mean to know God’s ways rather than just witnessing His acts?
• How do we move beyond merely experiencing His blessings to abiding in His presence?
• How can we develop a deeper awareness of His nearness in moments of hardship?
• If God’s presence is always with us, what keeps us from fully acknowledging and resting in Him?
• How does Scripture invite us to seek God in crisis and dwell with Him daily?

Author

Andrea Brown

Andrea is a wife, mother, author, and scribe behind TheOneThing1. Most importantly, she is a daughter of God. Connect with Andrea on her website, or listen to her Seed for the Soul Podcast.