The Intimate Touch
“Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?” James 4:5 Amplified Bible
What a remarkable realization, to know that the Creator of the universe not only is aware of us, but He is involved in our lives in such a personal way that He dwells within us all the time. Too often we feel as though the Lord is not overly involved in our lives. We are just kind muddling our way through life with perhaps occasional assistance from Him. The tendency is to portray Him as distant and ethereal, watching His creation as an observer from heaven and not as an active participant.
The unfortunate result is that most people live their lives feeling a distance from Jesus and His expressed love for us. It’s a distance that is only imagined in their minds. The truth is, as stated above in James, He yearns for us with a jealous love and a desire for us to be with Him. He yearns so much to be with us that He has made it possible that He could be within us as the very Spirit of God dwells within us.
When you love someone you obviously want to be as close to them as possible. Think about those you love in this life. Your love for them compels you to want to be near them, even touching them. It is a need within us to be connected to the ones that we love. Well, God loves you with an even greater love and He has found the way to do more than just be near us, He is even touching us. He dwells within us all the time! It is a touching that is even more personal than human contact, like touching hands. It is intimate touching as He is an eternal part of who we are. He has made it so that He can be in us all the time. That is amazing to comprehend.
But the above verse also says that He yearns for the Spirit to be welcome in us. That is where most of the body of Christ falls short. We want a relationship with Him where He is there meeting our needs, doing supernatural things to provide for us, but we want that at a distance. That way we can feel free to be what we desire without having to look in His eyes.
Now here is what is astonishing. God knows that we feel and act this way and yet He still yearns to be with us and is jealous of anything that takes priority in our life instead of Him. Make a choice to set all other things aside today, and touch Him, the One who dwells in you with love.
J Todd Hostetler