The previous post on Intimacy in Godly relationships focused mainly on the physical, and I did that because that was the context the question came in, I decided to do a sequel to explore other forms of intimacy that we might or might not be aware of.

Here’s what gives intimacy a whole new outlook for me; I don’t know how many of us have physically seen God Himself, not angels, agents or ministers, but God Himself, I think the closest I’ve come to it was in a dream and even then, I did not see Him fully or wholly. But that I have not physically seen God or that I don’t physically see Him everyday does not in any way hamper my intimacy with Him, the absence of physical contact in my relationship with God has taught me that intimacy transcends the physical. All the holding hands, hugs, and leaning on each other, are bare minimums of experiencing and expressing intimacy.

So the question I posed is what other channels are there to experience and express intimacy?

If we say that the more you know someone, the greater the intimacy with the person, that means that as knowing increases on both sides, intimacy grows. How do we know God in spending time with Him? we study our bibles, pray, meditate, cry some days, laugh some days, fellowship with other believers, engage in communion and etc.

Majority of these are things that brew spiritual intimacy which for a fact outweighs the physical expressions of intimacy. Same way we grow intimate with God in these spiritual exercises, we are able to grow intimate with our partners through similar means. Praying together, bible study and plans together, worship together, fast together, engaging in spiritual nourishing exercises are also avenues that we can use to grow intimate with our partners without even the physical elements.

I see the full definition of intimacy in relationships when I read Philippians 2:2.

It says “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind”

Notice in this verse, it speaks nothing of being one in body, just having the same love and being one in Spirit and one in mind. This suggests to me that intimacy starts in the spirit and the mind before the physical, so if we’re intimate in the physical without being intimate in the spirit and mind, how sustainable is that intimacy?

I want to challenge us to evaluate our levels of intimacy spiritually before even the physical, it’s easy to fall into the trap of desiring physical intimacy when spiritual and mental intimacy are absent. God is calling us to deep levels of intimacy and the more we grow in intimacy with Him, the more we unlock new levels of intimacy with physical partners that we can see.

Let’s put intimacy in perspective by growing in knowing in all the realms; spiritually, mentally and physically, but as I stated in the previous post, the height of intimacy will be achieved in the institution of marriage.

Let’s get intimate with God and hack this intimacy thing!