Posts Tagged ‘friendship’

Friend of God

Friday, November 20th, 2009

One of my favorite worship choruses goes like this: “I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, He calls me ‘friend.’” The lyrics are simple but the truth they teach is profound.

Think about it. Imagine being a friend of God…the Creator of all that exists…the One who calls the stars by name…the One who knows how many hairs are on our heads…the One for whom nothing is impossible. Imagine being His friend…not just a mere acquaintance, but one who has a close and intimate relationship with Him…and that at His invitation! Doesn’t that just boggle your mind?

How is this friendship possible? James 2:22-24 tells us the secret. “He (Abraham) was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did – his actions. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed God and so God declared him to be righteous. He was even called ‘the friend’ of God. So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”

One of the most important aspects of true friendship is trust. If I say my husband is my best friend but I don’t trust him around other women or with our finances, then our friendship leaves a lot to be desired. In the spiritual realm, we can say God is our friend but if we can’t trust Him enough to do what He says, then I don’t really know Him and our friendship is almighty shallow.  

Abraham was a friend of God because he trusted Him implicitly, as revealed by his obedience. When I read these words, something welled up inside me that cried, “I want to be Your friend, too! I want to know Your heart, understand Your ways, know Your secrets. I want intimacy with You!”

The thrill for me lies in knowing that God wants the same thing. He wants it so much that He’s told me what it takes – obedience. Now it’s up to me. How badly do I want to be called His friend? Am I willing to do what it takes?

How does this thought of being called a friend of God impact you?

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Abe Prayed

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Back to Abraham and his relationship with God. Theirs was an intimate one as evidenced in their conversation about Sodom (Genesis 18) “God, You wouldn’t destroy the city if You found 50 righteous men there, would You? After all, You’re a just God.”

“You’re right,” said God. “I’d save it for their sakes.”

Abraham mustered his courage for round #2. “What if You found 45 righteous men?”

“I’d save the whole place for their sake,” said God.

“Forty?”

“If I find 40 righteous men, I’ll spare the city.” And so went the conversation, back and forth, until God agreed to spare the entire city if He could find 10 righteous men.

Verse 27 contains a word that describes Abraham’s approach. It’s the word bold. The dictionary says this word means, “without fear; daring.” Abraham was indeed daring in his prayers. I’m not convinced that he was without fear, however, because the passage sounds like he had to muster his courage before each request. Perhaps he was a little concerned that God might consider him a smart-alek for his approach. I think it was the opposite — it looks like God rather enjoyed the banter, otherwise He might have ended the conversation in disgust. Regardless, Abraham conversed with God in a way that’s possible only between friends.

This story encourages me in my prayer life. It shows me that God enjoys honest communication. He invites me to be daring in my requests and in my approach. That’s reinforced in Hebrews 4:16 — “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

May we all enjoy such intimate relationship with God that our conversations with Him reflect deep friendship!

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