The boldness of familiarity with God

Yesterday I wrote that we are made to know God, not just to know about Him.  We are made for communion--- Spirit to spirit; we are supposed to come "boldly into His presence, rejoicing," not timidly, fearfully.

And today I read the words of St. Jane Frances de Chantal on prayer:  Let there be no timidity in our supplications; he does not like it....in prayer, we should freely unburden ourselves to God, telling him, our Lord and Master, in the most familiar and confidential way, everything, great and small, of heaven and of earth, much or little.  We should open our heart, pouring it all out to him without reserve; recounting its burdens, its sins, its aspirations; revealing our whole self; seeking repose in his company as with a friend on whom one relies and to whom one confides both the good and the bad.  This is what Holy Scripture calls "pouring out his heart like water in the divine presence" (cf. Lam 2:19), manifesting not only those things that are of great importance but even the most insignificant of things (from A Simple Life).

The Blessed Mother told the young visionaries at Medjorgore to "pray until prayer becomes joy for you," and St. Jane Frances wrote that prayer is "hidden manna, neither known or valued, save by those to whom it is given, and the more we taste it the more does our appetite for it grow."

Only those who pray will truly know God and be able to pour out their hearts to Him boldly, without reserve or fear.  And only those who pray will know the answering comfort of hearing God speaking to them deep within.  God Calling 2 has this entry today:  Confidence must be the finishing chord of every contact between you and Me.  Joyful confidence.  You must end upon the joy-note.

The union between a soul and Me is attained in its beauty and complete satisfaction only when in every incident that soul achieves praise.  Love and laugh and thank Me all the time.

It is a very bold thing for someone to say "he does not like it" about God.  Only a close friend could make that statement about another person.  I can just hear the world screaming back, "Who are you to say what God 'likes' or does not like?  What arrogance!"  But the friends of God do know what He likes and what he does not, for He himself teaches them --  Jesus did say, "I no longer call you servants but friends."  And friends know what their friends like and don't like.

It was said of Moses that he spoke to God face-to-face, as a man speaks with his friend.  And Abraham stood toe-to-toe with God, boldly negotiating with Him for the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.  When we walk with God as did Enoch, sit with God as did Deborah, and stand with God as did Abraham, we soon become familiar with Him and boldly approach the throne of grace and goodness.  It is a great and glorious thing to have joy in His presence, as all the saints have told us.

No longer need we fear the opinions of men when we "fear God," although this kind of relationship has nothing to do with being afraid of God.  All those who have really good marriages 'fear' their husbands, although they are not afraid of them.  What we 'fear' is losing the confidence, the closeness, the respect and communion that exists between us.  We would do nothing we know that would destroy the relationship we have, and we would not take the advice of nor follow anyone who threatens the bond between husband and wife. 

Once we have entered into this kind of closeness with God, we do 'fear' losing that relationship, and we do all we can to nourish it and to strengthen it.  Walking with Yahweh, laughing with Him, loving with Him is the most satisfying relationship on earth, and it will carry us straight into heaven.