I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord. Hosea 2:19-20

My wife came to know Jesus in the workplace when her boss led her in the sinner's prayer to receive Christ. She was 29 and had no idea who God was. She was a professional single woman who had always had a boyfriend. When Christ came into her life, He gradually began to change her life in very significant ways-especially in the area of relationships. As she began her first Bible study, she read in Matthew 7 that if she asked, she would receive (see Mt. 7:7). She prayed for a husband and the Lord spoke to her through His Word. The next verse in her study was "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10a).

Over time, the Lord began to show her that He wanted to become her Husband. After two and one-half years without a boyfriend, she asked the Lord to show her how to fall in love with Him. Days later, she received a phone call from someone asking her if she could go on a three-day retreat. She instantly knew God was answering her prayer. He showed her that she could have the same kind of intimacy with Him that she could have with a human husband. She thought this to be strange for the obvious reasons most would think it strange. However, God began to demonstrate to her a level of intimacy that she never thought possible.

It was Valentine's Day, and she would normally leave such occasions to the married couples to celebrate. However, on this occasion, her church was having a Valentine's Day dinner. She felt impressed to go as a single. Actually, she knew the Lord was her escort. Because she had made a decision not to date in order to develop her intimacy with the Lord, she no longer received perfume as gifts. Lord, I know You would not take me to a Valentine's Day banquet without giving me a gift, she thought to herself. That evening, there was a drawing, and Angie won a beautiful gift basket full of fragrances.

On another occasion, she went to a company banquet alone. She was considered by this time rather weird for her commitment not to date. She often joked, "If it weren't for back rubs, I would never have need of a man." (You have to know Angie to appreciate that statement.) That evening, she won a gift certificate for a massage. Her friends looked at her and said, "How do you do that?"

Intimacy with God is not a fairy tale God teases us with in the Bible. He really desires to have intimacy with you and me. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in personal and intimate ways. He desires to do this.