Do you have friendship with God?

“A friend loveth at all times…” (Proverbs 17:17a) Your best friend is the one who knows the worst about you, and loves you just the same, and that best friend is God, the Lord Jesus Christ who sticks closer than a brother. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) The true source, foundation, and example of friendship is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Something that is temporary, unfulfilling and won’t last, and often it’s found in the things of the world that draw our love away from God being our first love. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

After receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can now have friendship with God. So we can pull up a chair next to us during devotions knowing it’s not empty, we can speak to God as we are driving down the road knowing He’s listening, or wherever we are we can recognize that God is right there with us, and He will never leave or forsake us.

David, the King of Israel sat down with his son Solomon and wanted to give him the most important advice for his life. David advised Solomon to give himself to seek to know God, not just to know “about God,” but to know Him as “friend to friend.” “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:” (1 Chronicles 28:9a)

By faith, Abraham left his country because he had a friendship with God in which he believed by faith the promises a far off, embraced them, and confessed them. “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23)

During the time of the wilderness wandering, God told Moses to make Him a sanctuary so He could dwell among His people. When it was built, Moses went into it and talked with God. “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” (Exodus 33:11a). Moses had friendship with God and his relationship with God influenced Joshua to follow after him.

The Lord Jesus Christ expressed the intimacy of closeness with His Disciples when He said, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15)

Today, we too can have a close relationship with God that stems from salvation and forgiveness of sins giving us an eternal friendship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator, Savior and Friend. By confessing the Lord Jesus Christ we are declaring a desire to have a close friendship with God. This friendship is built on the new covenant relationship of being saved from sins and completely forgiven by God, who became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:15)