by Ms. Sasha
A Friendship Story
He usually played his instrument after a long day of work, but not today. He felt betrayed. His boss, who he respected seemed to now have a vendetta against him. He’d heard stories of bosses that overlooked their best employees, and now it was happening to him. Not only had he been overlooked, but rumors about plans to demote him were circulating. He wasn’t new to the anxiety he’d begun to feel, but he knew God was with him. His earliest memory of overcoming an obstacle of this magnitude was still vivid. God had helped him win a fight that nobody thought he could win against a much bigger guy. It was a physical fight; blood, sweat, and tears.
As he recalled other times God had helped him to win, his confidence was stirred. Surely, God will help him with this present problem, even though it hurt. In the corner was a journal. His eyes shifted towards it, and he began to smile. In it were a bunch of songs he had been writing about his journey through life and how God helped him through each part. He turned on the light, grabbed the journal and started praying. Afterward, he felt much more confident. Letting out a sigh of relief, he picked up his pen and wrote this:
“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings….” Psalms 63:7
That was his 63rd entry. He was ready to play his instrument now. Little did he know his entries would make it into the most popular book of all time. The Bible.
Have you ever wondered what made David’s relationship with God so strong and why he was so confident that God would always help him? He was friends with God.
In fact, the Bible refers to David as a man that reflects God’s heart. Sounds like a close friendship to me.
Discover God's gift of friendship in this article and the qualities of a friend we can't live without:
- Dependability
- Loyalty
- Empathy
- Fondness
God is a dependable friend.
Dependable: the willingness to fulfill a role when called upon.
Let’s keep it simple. Sometimes, people are not there when we feel like we need them. There are multiple reasons for this. Our friends have different schedules than we do, so they are often not available when we are. Other times, people are burned out from work and from navigating other relationships. The free time they have is their moment to relax. If we put the shoe on the other foot, it’s easy to understand the reasons why people we love are sometimes unavailable.
Did you know that God is always available to us? That’s one reason he’s the most dependable friend. We can talk to him anytime without having to schedule an appointment.
Because he’s always available, he doesn’t mind short prayers. Sometimes in romantic relationships, we feel cheated if our significant other only “checks in” during the day. But, can you imagine God accusing us of playing mind games with him if one day we don’t spend as much time in prayer as we did the day before? No. He understands us perfectly and gives plenty of room for our relationships with him to develop. With prayer, God loves the conversation as long as it is sincere. He is always available. We can depend on him to always be there for us; a vital attribute of an excellent friend.
God is a loyal friend.
Loyalty: always being there in spite of trials and embarrassing moments.
We should all like and subscribe to friendship with God. He is loyal. The Bible says that God will never leave us. His faithfulness is permanent. He’s not a babysitter who leaves when the parents arrive. He’s not an ex-lover who leaves when their feelings get hurt. He’ll always be there. Even when we feel like we’ve not lived up to our expectations as Christians, any time we want to return to prayer, he is listening.
We can also depend on God to provide the things that we need. After praying out a matter (which sometimes takes days of seeking him off and on) God answers the questions that have been on our minds. He is able to give us comfort, peace, and direction. He never runs out of counsel. He is also able to provide healing when we ask him for it. He can also help you find your keys. I say with a twinge of embarrassment, this is a frequent prayer of mine. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit can remind us of all things. This includes the menial things in life!
One thing that God looks for in a friendship with you and I is trust. When we trust him, it enables him to make good on the things we depend on him for. Trust, or faith in God, makes all the difference in a strong friendship with God and in our view of how dependable he is. Knowing that God is a dependable friend is what transforms us from prayer Worriers to prayer Warriors. We know that he will answer.
There’s something very special about having someone in your life who will always be there. The people that come to mind when we think about loyalty are our spouses and parents. However, divorces happen. Death occurs, and even sickness may cause separation. God has promised us that he will always be there. This means we can depend on him, for a lifetime. He doesn’t just float in the background like an untouchable King in the cartoons. He is a present help. When you call him, he shows up.
Friendship with God means that the perks of having a relationship with him like peace, healing, and provision, will remain and keep flourishing for as long as we keep believing.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NIV
God is highly empathetic.
If you can’t tell your truth to anyone, you can tell it to God. Even Jesus shared the truth about how he was feeling in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked God if he could fix the situation so that the world could be saved without him having to die on the cross. This shows us that Jesus had real feelings. He wasn’t looking forward to being humiliated any more than he looked forward to being crucified. In this vulnerable moment, Jesus was real with his emotions and cried out for help.
Living through pain is not easy, but we see that at the end of the story, the Bible shows us a Jesus who had been restored so much that we could not tell he had just suffered a painful death.
You see, pain doesn’t mean the end. And because of Jesus’ experience with pain, he understands us perfectly. To get through the pain and anxiety, Jesus prayed. He was comfortable sharing his truth with the Father, and we can do the same.
God allows us to share our truth with him in prayer. In turn, we need to be open to his truth. He is a bona fide friend. His honesty with us improves our lives. Our relationship with God grows deeper when we acknowledge that his plans are good.
Pain doesn’t mean the end. And because of Jesus’ experience with pain, he understands us perfectly.
Think about how much respect we give to those who have great inventions. We honor them long after they’ve died, and we talk about how much of a genius they were. We talk about how we couldn’t live without their inventions (ie. the telephone, the light bulb). How much more is God the master inventor if he created light for the whole world that comes up in the sky every day? Jesus acknowledged God’s supremacy and was open to receiving God’s way of doing things as excellent and good.
I remember the years that I didn’t want to pray and didn’t, because I didn’t feel that God could understand my life. I didn’t want to pray, because I thought I had to be perfect for God to hear me. Do you ever feel this way? I’m here today to tell you that our idea of perfection is not what God is looking for. He’s looking for sincerity and someone who interested in getting to know him. We all require this in friendship. God is the same. He is into truth, because, he is the truth.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NIV
God values our friendship and is fond of us.
It’s easy to say that God knows everything about us. He created us. But can you say with confidence that God wants to be around you? We can know that low self-esteem and low self-image are not from God, because of his extensive effort to be with us. Who would make such effort for someone they don’t want to be around? He died on the cross to cover our sins, all so that we could continue life with him after our time on the earth. In fact, He went the extra mile to prepare a place for us to stay in heaven with him (John 14:2). But that’s not all. He loves us so much that he wants to be with us right now, in the present.
We see in Genesis, chapter 1 God referring to you and I, his 1st creations, as “good.” Then, we see him talking to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, establishing a relationship with them. Later in the New Testament, we see several examples of Jesus having dinner with friends; friends who were imperfect like you and I! (Matthew 9:10-13)
Although Jesus is not here physically today, he still wants to fellowship with us frequently. He is familiar with us and knows us better than any of our other friends. He even knew us before we were born, because he is the creator of all things good.
Having someone to be around that knows all about you is comforting. Think about it. Have you every gone to a networking event? Even if you have the confidence to be fully you while you’re there, it can be exhausting. When we pray to God, we can be ourselves, fully, with no pretension. God does not judge us by our outside appearances. God does not discriminate against us because of our dialect. God knows exactly how you speak and what century you live it. You can truly say stuff like, No Cap, when talking to God, and he can Dig It. Prayer is a matter of emptying out your heart, and listening to God’s heart. You know, the way we do with true friends.
What Happens Now?
Do you ever wish your friendship with God could be better…stronger? Maybe you haven’t begun a friendship with God yet, and didn’t realize that he could even be your friend. If you can relate to either of these circumstances, pray this short prayer with me.
“God, it’s been awhile, but you’re still here. Thank you for not leaving me. Thank you for promising never to leave me. I know that in this space, I can talk to you about any and everything. I want you to know that I respect you as the expert in all matters. I’m just here today to ask you to bless my life and to show me what it’s like to live the life you promised I could have. A good life. This day, I commit to listen for you, to watch for you, and to embrace you. Please show me what that looks like on a day to day basis. In Jesus name; Amen.”