God does not have favorites. He does have confidants. Many know God by name and reputation. Fewer commune with him deeply. Close communion is the kind of relationship Jesus says he wants with us. (See John 15.)

Aaron and Miriam wanted the same respect and reverence people gave Moses. They were part of the family. They had provided leadership. They saw Moses as the flawed man who made mistakes they knew better than anyone. They were at least as good as him in their own minds.

There was one thing they were missing. They did not have the kind of up close and personal relationship with God Moses did. 

Spiritual intimacy with our Father in heaven is not something we achieve by degree, age, or accomplishment. Instead, it is a deepening shaped by hunger, expectancy, acknowledgment, responding, and trusting God day by day and moment by moment. (Thank you, Becky Biser, for the HEAR(t) acrostic below.)

Close communion with God is not to be envied. It is not a matter of competition. It has nothing to do job title (not even Pastor, Priest, or Bishop). 

Close communion with God is the product of an unhurried heart, a mind open to thinking God’s thoughts after him, a willing obedience in all things. 

Rather than say more, let’s pray more. Rather than create a task list, let’s move at the impulse of his love. Rather than seizing authority, let’s submit all authority to him.

Hunger

“Hunger for God and His Word” – When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus answered and said. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” Luke 10:27. Every thought we have, we should capture and bring it before our Lord. A sign of illness is a lack of appetite. A lack of appetite for God is spiritual sickness. We are to hunger after and love God so much, that we don’t want to do anything that would not bring Him honor and glory. With all our energy throughout each day, we want to use it for the Lord and His Kingdom. We hunger to know what He thinks of our circumstances. What He thinks of the people we encounter. Ask God what He sees in a situation. Ask God to give us His heart for others. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” Psalm 42:1.

Expect

“Expect God to Speak” – Don’t be zoned out to God. This is a big one. If you aren’t expecting God to ever speak to you, you will keep missing Him. When you live each day expecting God to talk, He always does. Sometimes in small ways, but He always makes Himself known. You’ll feel His peace. You’ll feel His love. You’ll sense His leading and His heart. Did I say this is a BIG one? The Lord will let you feel His heart about others; His heart about you. He cares so very much. Ask God what He thinks. Invite Him into your day. This is the pray without ceasing. It is a continual glance to God to include Him in your thoughts. Isaiah 50:4 reads, “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakes me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” What is He teaching you?

Acknowledge

“Acknowledge God and acknowledge He is speaking” – Don’t rationalize those nudges away. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” When God speaks, it is usually totally different from what you would think. It isn’t about you. His thoughts are not your thoughts and neither are your ways His ways (Isaiah 55:8). Many things you sense God wants you to say or do may seem silly or embarrassing. You may think folks will think you are weird or be offended. When it is God, it always lines up with the Bible. You will be stretched to trust. Surrender is non-negotiable. You have to surrender control to the Lord. We can try to be good or do things in our own strength, but it doesn’t work. The Bible teaches us to die to self. Also in John 15 we read, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We have to acknowledge that Christ is Lord – not just Savior. Let me say that again. We have to acknowledge that Christ is Lord. This means Lord over our relationships. Lord over our agendas. Lord over our finances. Lord over our reputations. Lord over our health. Lord over… You get the picture. It is His Kingdom – not ours. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but those who trust in the Lord will be kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25 Respond

Respond

“Respond to His Leading” – Once we have accepted that the idea or thought came from God, we have a choice to respond or not. We have to surrender our own desires. When you take that first step to follow His leading, God will often reveal more to you. He wants you to trust Him. It is not about manipulating others on what we want. It is a humble surrender to what God wants. It is His Kingdom, remember. We are His servants. Acts 9:10-17 tells us about Ananias. The Lord came to him in a vision and told him to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. The Lord tells Ananias that Saul has also seen a vision of a man named Ananias coming and laying hands on him to restore his sight. Ananias questions God. Saul has come with authority to arrest all who call on the name of the Lord. But the Lord tells Ananias that Saul is his chosen one. Ananias goes and does what the Lord asks. How about you? Even if it seems terrifying, do you respond in obedience? Do you choose to follow or choose to play it safe?

Trust

For us to HEAR God, we have to trust Him with all our heart. It is a heart thing. God looks at our heart. We have to be attuned to God, not just aligned. We can align with the good things of God and church, and entirely miss God. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jer. 17:7-8 © Becky Biser, August 2016

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I will live in close communion with God.

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Our Father, draw me nearer. Give me ears to hear what you are saying to me. Give me a willing and obedient heart to join you in what you are doing all around me. Give me patience, kindness, and gentleness to guide my every thought and my every action. Shape me as you see fit. I want to know you more. Amen.