FRIENDSHIP OF GOD, FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

I have always told my daughter that in this life all you need are a few good friends. It's my personal mantra and as I sit here writing, I can without hesitation, think of my own few good friends.  Don't get me wrong, throughout my lifetime I have known and enjoyed the company of a lot of wonderful people. Many individuals have played a significant role in my life along the way.  We have shared similar vocations, amazing adventures and unforgettable experiences. But the “five friends on my right hand” are the ones who have walked through “Psalms 23” with me. These are the friends who rest and rejoice with me in the green pastures of life, but they are also never far away when I am forced to walk through the darkest valley. 

As irreplaceable as good friends are, my deepest desire this year is to experience close friendship with God. I am always inspired by David's intimate relationship with the Lord, evident in his writings in the book of Psalms. There is no hiding his true feelings about any situation he finds himself in even if it's his own fault. There is always full transparency.

After being found out about his murderous behavior towards Bathsheba's husband Uriah, David knows he can no longer hide from his sin or his God.  In Psalm 51:2-4, he says to the Lord, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.  For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”

David runs to the Lord even in his most sinful state and he demonstrates confidence that the Lord will listen to him and still accept him. At the beginning of the Psalm, he approaches the Lord in this way, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.” What is it that David understood about the infallible friendship with God that we are still grappling with?  Psalms 25:14 states that The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant (His ways). In short, friendship with God is cultivated when we consciously and lovingly submit to Him, when we allow His ways (covenant) to influence the way we think and act.   

One of the more well-known friends of God was Abraham. All over the Bible, he is referred to as God's friend.  Why?  Simply because he believed what God told him. James 2:23 (NLT) reminds us that “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. It is clear to me as I pursue a friendship with God this year, that we develop a friendship with God when His opinion matters more to us than our own.  He draws us closer into intimate relationship when we appear before Him vulnerable, transparent and in dire need of Him. And that God offers us friendship when He sees that we truly believe and trust Him.  

~Nicholine Charles