Prayer & Intimacy with God
You weren’t made for performance. You were made for presence.
For many of us, this is a truth we wrestle to fully understand.
A lot of us grew up, or learned that prayer is a duty — something mature Christians “should” do if they’re serious about God. For some, it was a ritual. For others, it was a last resort. And for many, it slowly becomes something we associate with expectations, pressure, or even guilt. We know we need to pray… but we never learned how to be with God.
But from the very beginning, before commandments, before sacrifices, before religion — there was presence. In the cool of the day, God walked with Adam. Not to give him a checklist. Not to test him. But to commune with him — spirit to spirit, heart to heart.
That’s the design we lost in the fall.
And that’s the design Jesus came to restore.
Prayer is not the task of spiritual elites.
It’s the way home for sons.
Jesus didn’t teach His disciples how to preach, strategize, or build influence.
He taught them how to pray.
Not because He wanted them to master a discipline, but because everything flows from communion with the Father.
Authority without intimacy becomes pride.
Service without intimacy becomes burnout.
Knowledge without intimacy becomes arrogance.
Holiness without intimacy becomes legalism.
But intimacy fills the cracks none of those things can reach.
The Secret Place: Where the Real You Meets the Real God
When Jesus told us, “Go into your room and shut the door,” He wasn’t teaching isolation — He was teaching devotion.
He was inviting us into a life where the loudest voices lose their power, and the Father’s voice rises again inside the quiet.
Prayer isn’t the moment where you prove something to God — it’s the moment where you stop pretending.
Where you bring the parts of yourself you’re ashamed of, the desires you don’t understand, the burdens you’ve been carrying alone.
He doesn’t meet the polished version of you — He meets the honest one.
And the beautiful thing is this:
God doesn’t withdraw from your weakness. He draws near to it.
He is not intimidated by silence, nor offended by confusion, nor impatient in your wandering.
He waits in the quiet, not to condemn you, but to shape you.
Why We Struggle With Intimacy
For many believers, prayer feels distant because the heart feels guarded.
We’re comfortable learning about God, serving God, singing to God — but being alone with God exposes things activity can hide.
Alone with God, there are no distractions to outrun the ache.
No noise to mute the wound.
No performance to hide behind.
And so, without realizing it, many become spiritually active but relationally disconnected — full hands, empty hearts.
But God isn’t asking you to “produce” anything in the secret place.
He’s asking you to be present.
To let Him see you.
To let Him speak.
To let Him hold what you’ve been holding alone.
Because transformation doesn’t happen through pressure — it happens through presence.
What Happens When We Return to the Secret Place
When you draw near, God reshapes your desires.
He brings order to chaos.
He quiets the anxious mind.
He reveals lies you’ve carried for years.
He strengthens your spirit in ways sermons alone cannot.
He restores the joy you thought you lost.
He recalibrates your priorities without you forcing them.
He reminds you who you are — and more importantly, who He is.
Moses didn’t shine because he tried harder.
He shined because he spent time with God.
David didn’t write Psalms because he understood theology — he wrote them because he knew God’s heart.
Jesus didn’t withdraw to pray out of obligation — He did it because intimacy was life to Him.
Everything you hunger for spiritually — purity, clarity, peace, consistency, courage — grows in the soil of intimacy.
When You Feel Far From God
Distance doesn’t mean separation.
Dryness doesn’t mean failure.
Silence doesn’t mean abandonment.
Sometimes the Father lets the noise fade so your desire can awaken again.
Sometimes He pulls back the feeling so you learn to seek His face.
Sometimes He teaches you to rest instead of strive.
Nothing about His love changes when your emotions do.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
— James 4:8
That is not a suggestion — it’s a promise.
Returning to Presence
Prayer is not where you perform.
Prayer is where you become.
It’s not a chore.
It’s not a rule.
It’s not the Christian version of self-help.
It is the place where the soul breathes again.
The place where wounds become stories of redemption.
Where burdens become testimonies of strength.
Where fears turn into conversations.
Where intimacy becomes identity.
And no matter how far you feel or how weak your prayers sound — the Father lifts His head when you speak.
Because you weren’t made to pray out of duty.
You were made to commune out of delight.
📚 Curated Resources
🎙️ Teachings & Sermons
“The Secret Place” – Eric Gilmour
“How to Hear God’s Voice” – John Bevere
“Intimacy with God” – Corey Russell
Books & Devotionals
Practicing the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
Secrets of the Secret Place – Bob Sorge
Draw the Circle – Mark Batterson
Podcasts & Playlists
“Praying in the Spirit” – Tim Sheets
Intimacy with God series – Upperroom Podcast
Worship Playlist – “Altar & Oil” (curated for prayer)
Tools & Practices
Set a recurring “meeting” with God: same time, no agenda
Use a journal to pray raw and honestly
Daily reading:
