Mistaking spiritual information for intimacy
You could call me an information pack rat. As I flipped through the pages of my journal on Sunday, I found a rich bank of scribbled sermon notes, bedside thoughts, and devotional gleanings.
But there was something missing. The pale yellow pages told a story of a young man who substituted information for intimacy – and then starved.
The journal lacked the prayerful vitality that springs from communion with God. I marveled at God as if he was one of those fold-out pictures in a National Geographic, talking to myself in my journal about God, but not actually to God.
Information cannot feed the soul. Experiencing intimacy with God can.
There is an important distinction between information and intimacy. It’s like the difference between the boy daydreaming about the girl sitting two rows in front of him at school, and the lover walking hand-in-hand with his bride in the flower gardens. The schoolboy says an awkward hello. The lover gently tucks a flower in his bride’s hair.
Information is key to intimacy. Therefore, we study God’s Word. A rich knowledge of God’s character enables more intimate adoration and worship.
But information is not equivalent to intimacy anymore than hours of surfing Facebook is equivalent to personal relationships.
Because even the most vast reservoirs of information can not feed the soul, Psalm 63:1-8 has become my cry:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
My journaling is now taking on a new tone as the result of the Holy Spirit’s work over the last few months. What’s the tone of your quiet time, journaling, and prayer? How much intimacy do you really have with God?
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Love the facebook slug. lol.
Man, I am not so good with my journal time. I started out pretty good, with a goal to spend no less than 10 minutes a night. I found that I can write pretty much in 10 minutes. Then, I just stopped.
Pray that I pick it back up.
Thanks for the testimony.
I have a love-hate relationship with facebook. Or is it even a relationship? Maybe just a tense co-existence justified only by the site’s value as a tool.
You will be in my prayers, especially when I find myself struggling with consistency and seeking intimacy in journaling. Will you let me know what God does?
“My journaling is now taking on a new tone as the result of the Holy Spirit’s work over the last few months.”
That’s wonderful, Daniel! I’m glad you are experiencing this amazing gift. I know He has done similar work in my time with Him this year as my journals are full of words directed toward my Father and my Redeemer, pouring out what is in my heart, praising Him for His overwhelming love, and asking for His strength and guidance.
I will share with you and your readers: In a particular writing group I was in years ago, I chose to write about my faith and related experiences at the time. It was one of the hardest things I ever wrote…and the worst…and I couldn’t discern why at the time. Now I believe it had very much to do with how much I talked about God or about “church” or about religious ways without having much real intimacy with Him…or ever in fact coming to Him for guidance in that piece. Praise God, He did not leave me in such a state or allow me to remain in the situation I found myself in because of my absence from Him.
A particular promise I keep coming back to in my time with God and in my journals is Hosea 2:14-23, particularly 20: “I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.”
Certainly.
Ruth, I am encouraged to hear your story. Thank you for sharing.
The promise of God’s faithfulness is one of the promises I cling to as well. He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
I know I need that reminder at times and often times have to gauge if I am really meeting with God or just collecting more head knowledge about God.
Lew, I appreciate you coming by.
This whole issue is something that has been on my mind and heart a lot lately. The stories of men who had intimacy with God – everyone from Moses and David to David Brainerd and D.L. Moody – make me feel like I am missing something.
Like you said, sometimes we have to gauge whether or not we are really meeting with God.
“The stories…make me feel like I am missing something.” I know…and it’s encouraging to know I’m not the only one who feels this way sometimes, but I do believe if we ask Him to come and we wait as long as it takes, He will…and sometimes, if we ask but are obliged to continue the motions of the day, He’ll come at the most unexpected moment.
Daniel,
Thanks for sharing this. As someone who very much enjoys learning, this has been a constant struggle for me as well.
Becky,
Thank you for coming by.
I guess it is better to struggle with the problem and seeking God’s grace than to be ignorant of it and plunging blindly ahead.
Absolutely love this post. It’s a classic example why I admire you: You’re humility to Christ and desire to be broken by him. May God’s grace be with you to continue.
Demian, your support and instruction are a blessing. Looking forward to the next 6 months (feels like it’s been longer than that).
The word of the Lord comes to us from Jeremiah 29:13-14. In my own words, the word says if we seek Him with ALL our hearts, He will be found by us. Continue seeking Him wholeheartedly, you will find HIm in due timing. Our timing is not God’s timing so continue to wait upon Him. Psalm 27:14 declares, “Wait upon the Lord, be of courage and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait i say on the Lord,” Be encouraged!