Psalms 42:2, John 7:37-39, Luke 9:28-36, Genesis 3:8-10

Kunle Olabode reflects on the importance of intimacy with God.

Kunle Olabode

The psalmist spoke about the thirst of his soul in Psalm 42:2, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

Thirst and hunger are common to man. Thirst however is a stronger need than hunger. It is possible for people to live without food for 60 days, but extremely dangerous to do so without water. Thirst is a very powerful feeling that comes from within, (Judges 15:18-19). When you are really thirsty, the pain or discomfort of thirst can override every other pain; for instance, after being beaten and wounded, Jesus was nailed to the cross, but He did not cry for any of those pains, He cried for water (John 19:28).

There is a thirst that no water can quench, hence the Lord Jesus Christ invites all those who are truly thirsty to come to Him (John 7:37-39). If you have really fallen in love with God, you will know that there is a thirst inside of you that only Jesus Christ can quench. There is a void in every man that only the Creator can fill. Has He completely filled the space He originally reserved for Himself within you?

But why was the psalmist seeking and thirsting after God? His next statement says it all: "When shall I appear before God?" This tells us that he was not seeking God for ordinary water, wealth or position, but for fellowship.

One thing lovers enjoy is each other's company. Lovers enjoy fellowship. The story was told about two very close friends who understood friendship in real terms. When one of them visited the other, time would slowly ebb away without them noticing as they enjoyed themselves talking about different things. By the time they checked the time, they would realise it was already late at night. The host would see off his visitor almost at midnight with their chat continuing along the way, until they arrive at the house of the one being seen off. On arrival, the one who just got to his house would escort his visitor off again until they mutually agreed on parting ways at midway to both their houses. At the end of it all, they would both arrive at their respective houses in the early hour of the morning. If you truly love God, you can experience something like that. Peter, James and John tasted a little of it on the mount of transfiguration and they did not want it to stop (Luke 9:28-36). True lovers enjoy each other's company and fellowship. When one lover has the opportunity to spend time with the other and for any reason missed that opportunity, he will not feel comfortable.

God loves to fellowship with man. This has been so from the very beginning. God created man to fellowship with him. This was why He created man in His own image and likeness. He wanted fellowship from man. He enjoyed coming to meet and fellowship with Adam in the cool of the day. How He cherished it! It became a daily appointment He never missed. Then imagine His disappointment when He came one day to the place of meeting in the garden and Adam was nowhere to be found. So He began to search for him (Genesis 3:8-10). In spite of Adam's fall, fellowship was what made God shed blood so that he could be forgiven. After that, God needed another person to continue from where Adam stopped. He kept searching until He found Enoch.

'And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him' (Genesis 5:24).

In Genesis 5:22-24, it was repeated twice that Enoch walked with God. He walked with God for at least 300 years! The fellowship was so intense that God had to call him to glory to continue the fellowship there.

Again, the story was told of a small child who was asked during Sunday school to explain the story of Enoch. He said whenever God comes to visit Enoch, the latter will escort God. And when it is time for Enoch to return home, God will escort him. Then one day, they just kept walking until they got close to Heaven and God told him not to go back. They walked together into Heaven. It may sound childish, but any seeker of truth will know that this is a revelation from God.

How is it with your walk with God? Do you have regular times of fellowship with God? Some believers of several years do not have a standing altar of fellowship with God. God wants to be intimate with you. Open yourself up to God and create time for regular fellowship with Him.

In conclusion, I do not know what you have on your list of New Year's resolutions. It is my hope that you will add more time of fellowship with God to that list.