Marriage is the union of a man and a woman to become husband and wife. Likewise, intimacy is the closeness of one being to another sharing knowledge presence and essence together. However, Spiritual intimacy is the involvement of God in the marriage.
In the beginning, God instituted a marriage whereby Himself is not absent from it. That is the original intent of God for marriage. The coming together of a man, a woman, andGod is marriage; where God is the seal (or glue) that joins them together as one.
God created man and woman to share His presence with them until sin came in and separated God from the union and reduce intimacy between the couple. How do I know that? Adam said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Gen 3:12 KJV). Before the fall, there wasn’t any record of such kind of self-centered statement coming up between them.
Know that there can be a marriage between two people without intimacy. Examples are the arranged marriages and the marriage between Jacob and Leah. Intimacy in marriage is where couples share things in common. They enjoy each other’s company and complement each other, and this also represents tolerance.
Nonetheless, the ultimate is Spiritual intimacy. This is where each partner sought God first before their partner. In this way, it is through God the husband/wife will understand the wife/husband better. This can also be referred to as unity of mind. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh (Eph 5:31 KJV)”. Yes! One flesh!
So, when you find it difficult connecting to your spouse in line with the Word, that is an indication that you are yet to attain spiritual intimacy in the marriage. However, here are a few hints on how you can achieve spiritual intimacy in marriage. • Open up to God: Cry out to God to fill the void you feel in your relationship with Him. Very soon your spouse will join in.• Sought Jesus more than you sought your spouse: When you treasure Jesus more than your spouse, you suddenly become the type of person your spouse desire to be with all the time.• Remove every habit that put off God and your spouse: Consciously depend on God to defeat any behaviour that you are addicted to which is not glorifying Him.• Make your weakness your spouse’s: When you consciously share your weakness with your spouse, and you both present it unto God for Him to turn it to strength then you further foster closeness between you two.• Be patient and persistent: Expect some failures and setbacks but hope for a new beginning any time there any setback occurs. And don’t forget to learn from suchmistakes.
Also, to experience enhanced spiritual intimacy, you need to do things in agreement with your spouse, and also in alignment with God’s word. Remember, ‘two shall become one’; this means perfect spiritual intimacy requires the unified effort of both parties. Don’t forget that Jesus is the ultimate. Give anything to have His attention in your marriage because the reward is always more than wonderful.