The Death of Intimacy - by Linda Bracken

"The Death of Intimacy"

Strange title, but not really once the context is given. The context is the observation of the modern Church's apparent lack of teaching the value of one on One quiet time with the Lord. We are so busy running here and there in pursuit of the latest mega meeting that we forget that the Walk with the Lord is just that...a WALK with the Lord.

The old hymn "In The Garden" expresses the joy of "He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own..."

What are we missing in this era of "bigger-is-better-megachurchianity?" In a word, we are missing - EVERYTHING!!!

The joy that my Father and I share on a daily moment by moment basis is so sweet that even nature seems to pause to take in the beauty of our conversation. My relationship with the Lord is so deeply personal and intimate that it is too private to be shared with anyone else.

My personal time with my Father is leisurely and refreshing and filled with Life. He instructs me to "be still and know that I Am God!" To that end I choose to turn off the TV, radio, IPod...whatever electronic gadget is drawing my focus and attention and listen........then He speaks in the Still Small Voice that I have grown to love and trust and He assures me that I am His own!

"I am my Beloved's and He is mine His banner over me is Love..." is a chorus that I learned many years ago in the infancy of my walk with the Lord. Here I am many years later and that chorus - taken directly out of Scripture - expresses the depth of the feeling that fills my soul.

I feel sad for the banging/clanging/drum beat driven corruption of what constitutes a "Worship Service" in the mind set of today's Seekers. Am I against drums and electric guitars in a Service? No, I am against the "Death of Intimacy."

"I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses and the Voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses and He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."

Here's the crux of the matter and the challenge..are we willing to take the time to give our undivided attention to a quiet time of Life giving Intimacy with our Father or are we going to put intimacy to death?

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