Living Room Intimacy

It's just a few weeks away. Thanksgiving. A time to reflect on a year's worth of blessings. A time to get together with family and friends. A time to enjoy a delicious feast. Perhaps more than all of these things, Thanksgiving provides us with a time to meditate on God and praise Him for who He is.

If I'm honest with myself, I'm usually quick to thank God for the things He has given me, but I don't spend as much time just thanking Him for who He is. This morning I was reminded of a Bible verse that a dear friend of mine put to music, Isaiah 43:10, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (KJV). Can I ever really grasp the fact that the very God of the universe created me to have a personal relationship with Him? This verse in Isaiah plainly spells out the fact that He has chosen me (and you) for the express purpose of knowing and believing Him. Truly mind-boggling.

Think about those individuals you would say you know pretty well. I'm sure we could all agree that in order to really 'know' someone, we have to spend time with them. God desires that we spend time with Him, so we can get to know Him. In his book entitled, My Heart: Christ's Home, Robert B. Munger does a fantastic job verbalizing the process of getting to know the Lord. After accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior, Munger invites Christ to take a journey through the 'rooms' of his heart. He says with sincerity, "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be Yours. I want to have You settle down here and be perfectly at home. Everything that I have belongs to You. Let me show you around."

As they make their way through the various 'rooms,' the Lord identifies the living room as comfortable and intimate. He says, "This is a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together." Munger goes on to express his excitement, "I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in close companionship. He promised, 'I will be here early every morning. Meet Me here, and we will start the day together.'

As His walk with Christ continues, Munger meets daily with Him and enjoys drawing close to His Master. Over time, however, a busy schedule begins crowding out these daily meetings, until one day, Munger passes the living room and realizes that Christ is still waiting for him. He muses, "He is my guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as my Savior and Friend, and yet I am neglecting Him." The reality check has been performed, there is nothing left to do but repent. Munger shares an important discovery: "The truth that Christ desires my companionship, that He wants me to be with Him and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the living room of your heart, but every day find time when , with your Bible and in prayer, you may be together with Him."

It is so important for us to focus on the right thing. Not praising Him exclusively for what He has done for us, but magnifying Him because of who He is. The Bible overflows with the names of our Savior. He is Elohim, mighty Creator. He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider. He is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. He is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. And these are just a few of the names by which He is known!

The Bible also gives us beautiful word pictures that give us an accurate portrait of who God is. Psalm 3:3 describes Him, "But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head." In Exodus 2:15a, the Lord used Moses to pen a different description for us, "The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation." Have you ever thought of God as your 'portion?' The writer of Lamentations did: "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him" (Lam. 3:24). Perhaps Psalm 18:2 spells out the most characteristics of our God in one verse: "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Wow! Did you catch each one of those descriptions of our mighty God? He's our rock, fortress, deliverer, strength, buckler, horn and high tower!

He desires to be all these things and more to each one of us. During this Thanksgiving month, spend time with the Lord in the 'living room' of your heart and be careful to praise Him for who He is!