How can I know God intimately and personally?

First of all, God has made it possible to know Him intimately and personally.

Second, He has revealed to us in His Word about how to do exactly that.

Third, there is no set formula since God has created each of us differently.

There are many places in the Bible, in fact, the whole Bible is geared toward drawing us into His presence, but I will focus on one particularly verse that continually challenges me.

"You will seek me and find me when you see me with all your heart." ~ Jeremiah 29:13

God will not ever force you to know Him or force Himself upon anyone. He waits for you to respond to His Holy Spirit's urging. When you, through the Holy Spirit, line up your desires with His, He will fulfill your desires to overflowing time and time again.

There will always be ups and downs. Look at the Israelites. Nevertheless, as Toby Mac says in "Get Back Up":

We lose our way, we get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again
And one day you gonna' shine again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever

You may ask, "But how do I seek God with all my heart?"

There are many ways to seek God. Prayer, Bible study, and music name just a few, but the list is endless. The important thing is to be in the presence of God, whether that is by praise, thanksgiving, singing, writing, creating, painting, driving, hiking, traveling, performing, listening, teaching, or by some other way.

The key is to focus on God.

I will conclude with a statement by A. W. Tozer in the The Pursuit of God, "The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him" (p. 12).

The Beginning and the End

Writing articles and historical books (probably other writing as well) requires beginning and ending a story where there is no beginning and no end. The very beginning of every story based on earth is at creation, and we are waiting to see the very end of everything on earth; nevertheless, God sets the standard.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." ~ Revelation 22:13

Therefore, the writer has the work and privilege of determining where to begin a story, not too far from the climax and not too close to it either, and where to end a story, not too soon with questions still unanswered and not too far with the story dragging on and on.

Where to begin and end names only one of many aspects which contribute to a good article, book, and other writing.

Why has the U.S. Constitution been so successful?

A significant reason for the success of the U.S. Constitution comes from its inclusion of biblical principles, either intentional or unintentional. Whether James Madison included the three branches of government because of Isaiah 33:22 or not, the biblical principles found in that verse are evident in the Constitution (http://www.davidbarton.org/2010/04/30/americas-godly-heritage-by-david-barton-7/).
"For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us."
~ Isaiah 33:22

What is the meaning of life?

Happiness?

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
~ Ecc. 2:10-11

Success?

"For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune."
~ Ecc. 2:21

Wealth?

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
~ Ecc. 5:10

If all this is meaningless, what is the meaning of life?

Solomon concludes in Ecc. 12:13 -
"Now all has been heard;
     here is the conclusion of the
            matter:

 Fear God and keep his

            commandments,
     for this is the whole duty of
             man."

First, we must fear God, not other people, the future, disappointment, hurt, failures (past, present, or future), or anything else.

Second, we must obey his commands to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The meaning of life lies within an intimate relationship with the Maker of heaven and earth.