I’ve got to tell you, I love how the Lord works. As I have shared here before, I was given two words for this year: Intimacy and Devotion. So, you might ask, where am I on my journey into intimacy and devotion now that the year is nearly two-sixths gone?
First confirmation of my words for the year: Although I did not know it, my study of the Psalms of Assent with Beth Moore would be and is about intimacy with God. (No, I am not done yet. I fell behind in my studies while I read the study mentioned in the next paragraph.) Stepping Up is all about what God wants me to experience this year — deeper intimacy with Him.
Second confirmation: I had been asked sometime last year to read for endorsement a new Bible study by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose. I have done three of their previous studies and loved them, so I was delighted for the opportunity to read their latest and recommend it to others. I didn’t pay attention to the name of the study when I agreed to look at it, so imagine what I felt when it arrived. Live Intimately, Lessons from the Upper Room. Yes, friends, it is all about intimacy with the Lord, and I plan to go through it much slower come its release this summer. A great study for small groups or for personal devotions.
Third confirmation: Fast forward a few weeks, and I’m asked if I would like to blog about a new book by Susan D. Hill called Closer Than Your Skin. Guess what the subtitle is: Unwrapping the Mystery of Intimacy with God. I’m not finished reading this book yet, but I have read enough to tell you that this is excellent. Do not miss it. It will spark your hunger to know God more intimately than ever before.
I believe with all of my heart that God is bringing these studies and books and people into my life because He wants me to be ever more intimate in my relationship with Him. It’s why He gave me the word for this year and why He is dropping these tools into my hands so faithfully. But I know He desires intimacy with everyone reading this post and millions of others besides. So maybe some of these tools are for you too.
If so, if you hunger for more intimacy with God, a great way to start would be with this third book I mentioned above: Closer Than Your Skin. It’s short (240 pages counting all of the notes and references and reading guide), and the writing is smooth. Here is a bit more about it:
Like the vast majority of Christians, author Susan Hill felt frustrated in her search for spiritual intimacy, unable to bridge the gap between knowing about God and personally knowing Him. Closer Than Your Skin traces her journey beyond the trappings of faith to an everyday companionship with God.
Through stories of her awe-inspiring experiences, Hill assures readers that knowing God is more than spiritual rhetoric; it’s a genuine, tangible reality when our eyes are open to his presence. With undeniable honesty, she vividly captures the experience of genuine intimacy with the Creator and reveals how to move beyond obstacles that stand in the way.
Readers will discover that divine encounters aren’t reserved for moments of crisis or the select few. Through these unforgettable insights and the interactive study guide, they will find that God is standing at the door, knocking, asking to be allowed in.
Susan Hill is an award-winning feature writer, whose work has appeared in The War Cry and Light & Life. A long-time leader of interdenominational women’s groups, she also serves on the board of the Uganda Orphans Fund, a non-profit Christian relief organization. Susan and her husband, Duncan, have three children and live in Montana.
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Come, join me on this adventure to hear the Shepherd’s voice in our daily lives and to walk more intimately with Him.
-rlh-
