Dr. John
2nd May 2010

Where would we be without our friends? If you’ve had the privilege of having good friends, you know that friends encourage you when you are down, cry when you cry, laugh when you laugh, motivate you, stand with you and help you get up when you fall down. They are people you can confide in, even if it is to admit a weakness and you know that they will not laugh at you. Friends help us get through life.

Our relationship with God has multiple layers. He is our Father, Saviour, Judge, High Priest, Master, Servant King, Shepherd, Teacher and so much more. But did you know that He also calls you ‘friend’? The very thought boggles the mind. Can you imagine the Lord who created everything we know, the Lord of the whole universe, who is much bigger that we can even understand, He wants to be friends with you and me? Hallelujah!

What does it mean to be friends with God?

• John 15:14 – 15 – a slave or servant, only obeys orders. A servant is not aware of the master’s plans and only does as he or she is told. But as friends of God, He will tell us what He is planning before He actually does it. He will talk to us about our lives, our family, our Church, our friends, our city and our nation. God did so with Abraham. Before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent his angels to talk with His friend Abraham and tell him what was about to happen (Genesis 18:17). Praise God that He still does the same today. And as friends, Abraham and even Moses, carried the burden that God had on His heart. And God listened to them. 
• Exodus 33:11 – friendship denotes intimacy. Moses spoke to God as a man does with his friend – face-to-face. This was a sign of great intimacy between God and Moses. God is interested in the details of our lives, and He loves it when we involve Him in even the mundane aspects of our daily lives. He loves hearing our voice, and He wants to ‘hang out’ with us. He thinks we are cool and interesting and worth His time! Praise God that He loves us so much! The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17 that a friend loves at all times and in Proverbs 18:24 that a friend sticks closer than a brother.
• Friendship with God will bring chastisement. He knows our faults and loves us just the same. But He loves us too much to leave us the way we are and will keep working on us until we are changed. The Bible says that God admonishes those He loves and that the wounds of a friend can be trusted. Read Proverbs 17:9 and 27:17.
• Friendship with God also means that we will exchange our burdens. He knows what concerns us and wants to carry it for us. He is not going to leave us to struggle alone, rather He is willing to get involved in our messy lives and help us. In the same manner, as friends of His, we will take on His burdens for the lost around us and His vision will become our vision, His plans will become our plans.

The favour of God is not the absence of pain but the presence of God in our lives. Our God wants to be our friend, if we will only let Him. He wants to draw closer to us, do we want to draw closer to Him? Let us continue to fear Him, love Him, walk with Him, and share our lives with Him, every single day.