The fragrance of intimacy

By Darrell Evans

As we look to the future, I believe that it is vital to the life of the church for believers to focus on the things that move us toward the very heart of God and into the center of God's eternal purpose for mankind. One of those areas of emphasis should be a deepened intimacy in our worship and relationship with God. While it is far more comfortable to linger in the outer courts of praise, our God is wooing us into a closer interaction with him. The Scripture is clear that our God desires to reveal himself with an ever-increasing glory as time unfolds (2 Cor. 3:18).

To pursue God in intimate worship we need to believe that as the church we are the Bride of Christ. With every passing day we are closer to the second coming of Jesus for his church. In that day we will truly be his consummate Bride; the one he saved himself for, the one he devoted himself to, and the one he died to win. As the Father is preparing us for eternity with the Son, we need to believe that he calls us into a bride-like heart, and intimacy in worship even now. God refers to himself as a husband in relation to his people and desires to hear that from us in our worship. For "you will call me `my husband,' you will no longer call me `my master'" (Hosea 2:16). In this passage, "master" is referring to the false god, Baal.

There is no greater picture of intimacy between two people than the husband-wife relationship. Scripture reveals that God has always longed for a people whose hearts are completely his, a people belonging to him. He is after us. The fruit of moving toward deeper intimacy in worship is in speaking the words God wants to hear from us and in becoming who God wants us to be, his devoted Bride.

The next step is to believe that God constantly longs to be near us and to be acknowledged. In Luke 10, we see Martha busy doing good works of service, while neglecting to fully realize or acknowledge whose presence was in the house. Her sister, Mary, sat at the feet of Jesus gazing at him in admiration and listening to all he had to say. She was satisfied to just be with him. Jesus acknowledged Mary's worship of him in saying that she had chosen the better thing and it would never be taken from her. In my relationship with my wife, I have learned the importance of truly acknowledging her, listening to her, and paying attention to her. This leads to greater intimacy, and so it is with our relationship with our Lord.

We can follow the model of the passionate worship of David. "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all your deeds"(Psalm 73:28). Elsewhere David writes, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm 42:1,2). Seeing that it is more vital for the soul to be satisfied by God's presence than for the body to be satisfied with food or water, David recognizes his daily need to pursue God. He can't wait to go and meet with God. Intimacy with God is something that grows out of time spent alone with him.

I believe that a congregation can experience intimate moments with God together in worship. After all, we are collectively the Bride of Christ, but we must hunger to be alone with God as Jesus did, as David did. If I desire to deepen my relationship with my wife, shared experiences with others will contribute to this, but it's the time we share alone that is most vital and fruitful for our growth together, for our understanding of each other.

We can speak words of love in the quiet place with the Lord, and the Lord desires for us to carry the fragrance of his presence on our lives. "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouthfor your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you! Take me away with youlet us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers" (Song of Songs 1:2-4).

Since Song of Songs has a place in our Bibles, it should have a place in our theology. If it has a place in our theology then it should have a place in our songs, in our worship as individuals and as a church. If you have ever embraced someone who is wearing too much perfume, you know that it is inevitable that you will end up with the scent on your clothes. When we come close enough to God in worship, and are unafraid to sing intimate songs and words and let him come close enough to us, he will embrace us and leave us with the fragrance of life on our lives.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing" (2 Cor.2: 14,15). Passionate worshippers will become passionate evangelists.

Let us not be afraid of intimate interaction with God in the worship of the church because out of intimate relationship wonderful things are birthed. Let us come before God with patience, stillness, and quietness and wait for him. So much fruit will grow out of our intimate times with Jesus. Heartfelt worship produces blessings such as:

· Reverence and awe

· Repentance and a deeper love

· Childlikeness, because our Father is approachable

· A clearer sense of God's purposes and intentions

· Intercession

· A prophetic anointing to hear God's Spirit speak and then speak it (Rev. 22:17)

· The ability to see God's Spirit moving and move with him

· Receiving his passion for the lost

Others may be comfortable to worship God from afar, "but as for me it is good to be near God," and it is overwhelming to think that he desires to be with me.

Leading others into a deeper, more intimate worship experience is Darrell Evans' passion. He has spent the last 14 years as a music minister, traveling musician, and recording artist fulfilling that gifted calling. Darrell is currently under Hosanna Integrity's Vertical Music label and has recently released his second album Freedom He and his wife Gayla, through their organization River Flow Ministries, instrumentally desire for the body of Christ to experience renewal and healing. To find out more about Darrell and River Flow Ministries, visit his website, www.darrellevans.com.