Naked and Unashamed

Naked and Unashamed

God wants to bring us to a place wherein is practiced a form of openness and
transparency that is without fear or shame; a place where we feel welcomed into His
presence; a place where we not only feel welcomed into His presence, but to a place of
intimacy that reaches beyond our mind. In fact our imagination is the enemy of this
purest form of intimacy because of it’s inability to comprehend and its tendency towards
idolatry. This place can only be described, in the Edenic sense, as psychological and
spiritual nudity. True intimacy with God can only happen when we decide to doff the
clothing that we are now wearing: robes of self righteousness; cloaks of judgment; many
colored coats of our own pious reckonings. When we allow ourselves to be drawn by the
Holy Spirit into a place of intimacy such that we are willing and able to discern these
things, then, and only then, will we be ready to become naked before the Lover of our
Souls. As we reach that place of total vulnerability before God, He begins the process of
clothing us with His Glory. We turn to God, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that
we desire to be clothed with His Glory, the indestructible nature of God, Himself! Oh, how we
long to be one with Him!!

He, too, desires our presence more than we can fathom. His heart aches to touch and caress us. He does not require perfection. He does not require that we have all things stripped away
before we stand before Him. He only requires that we recognize our need and turn. As
we approach, drawing near to Him, He draws near to us. As Eye meets eye, desire
overcomes our Bridegroom. He tenderly and lovingly begins to kiss and caress us. At
some point the clothing falls away, clear of the lover‚s embrace. As waves of Glory sweep
over us we cry out: “Holy, Lord God; Holy, Merciful and Full of Sweetness and Ecstasy
are You!! It is beyond our heart to contain Your Love. We are overcome by Your
Presence! We exalt in the Aromas of the Sweetness of the Master Perfumer’s art. We
are clay in the arms of the Potter. Our heart is malleable, laid bare to the reshaping of
Your strong, gentle hands. We are clothed upon of Your Glory, our clothing forgotten,
we are unashamed!”

Larry Grizzle (02/24/03)

Song of Solomon 1
The song of songs, which is Solomon's. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

Hebrews 12: 18-24
You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them his laws. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, "I am terrified and trembling." No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did.