Christian Writers Circle

Intimacy Brings True Rest
Merry Christmas
by Brenda D. Flowers

“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (Words of Jesus, John 17: 25-26)

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18, NKJV)

Throughout the Bible, we discover pictures of God’s love poured out for us, descriptions pointing to His perfect plan for us to have intimacy with Him. When we visualize these, we view images which bring security and rest.

As we give our hearts to God and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, we can feel God’s heartbeat, the rhythm of His sweet presence, and experience a rest beyond imagination. Filled with His Spirit, we experience and know God intimately in a new way, the way He wants us to know Him.

Take time right now to recall images of intimacy described in the Bible. . .

During this Christmas season, I am touched deeply by God’s beautiful plan for intimacy with humanity. I ask myself, “Why did God choose to have His Son to be placed in virgin Mary’s womb to be born in Bethlehem?”

Have you ever thought about how Father God could have had His Son enter humanity in countless other ways, but He chose to have Jesus intimately placed in the womb of a woman?

Having carried a child in my womb, I know the depths of intimacy this experience brings. Words truly cannot express the immense feeling of awe and love a mother feels upon carrying a baby and giving birth. Then when the baby is born, both mother and father can experience the amazing touch and warmth of the new little life held close to the heart.

At this time of year, when I see Nativity scenes portrayed in various ways,  I try to imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt holding their baby the first time, knowing He was the Promised One to bring salvation to mankind. Imagine their awe and love as they touched their new born child, the Hope for Eternity! Feel the love of God in that moment.

Heavenly Father, my words are inadequate to express how grateful I am for Your beautiful plan of redemption. Thank you for sending Your Son to light the way for us to have intimacy and true rest with You now and forever. Hallelujah!