BRBC Bible Notes

How can I develop my friendship with God each day?

First things first – how do you feel about describing God as your friend, or yourself as a friend of God? How easy or difficult do you find the idea of relating to God as a friend? If you think of yourself as having a relationship with God, would you be inclined to describe that as a friendship, or would you prefer to express it in a different way?
Take a look at Psalm 1. Can this psalm teach us anything about what it means to be a friend of God, or what it means to have God as your friend?
Two people in the Bible are described as being God’s friends.
The first is Abraham, who is described as being God’s friend in 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23. James suggests that it was Abraham’s readiness to trust God, to take him at his word, which opened the door to God regarding Abraham as his friend (Genesis 15:1-6). Trust is a pretty indispensable ingredient tor any friendship: if you can’t trust someone, then they are probably not your friend. Given that Abraham was a very old man and childless, Genesis 15:1-6 tells us that he was prepared to trust God for a significantly major promise.
Paul compares our trust in God to Abraham’s faith in Romans 4:16-25. In what ways is our own trust in God similar to Abraham’s faith? Given that Abraham’s faith seems to wobble a bit in Genesis 16:1-4, Paul seems to be excessively generous in his praise of Abraham (Romans 4:19-21), perhaps because he wants to hold up Abraham as an example of strong faith for his readers to emulate. Which do you find more encouraging: the idea that Abraham’s faith was rock-solid, or the realisation that even he made a mess of things sometimes? Do you think that Paul was trying to pull the wool over his readers’ eyes about the quality of Abraham’s faith, or might we suppose that his assessment of Abraham is based on how Abraham ultimately ended up keeping faith with God? Does the example of Abraham help you cement your own friendship with God? You are allowed to say, ‘No!’
The second example of friendship with God is Moses (Exodus 33:7-11). The narrative portrays Moses as being exceptional in this respect. Yet the friendship seems to have been a bit one-sided: Moses’ face shone because he had been in the presence of God (Exodus 34:29), but he did not actually get to see God’s face himself (Exodus 33:18-20). Perhaps because the full glory of God could either have consumed Moses or blinded him altogether, it looks as though God accommodates himself to get as close to being Moses’ friend as is possible without causing him harm, but the disparity between them cannot be completely removed.
Let’s be honest – sometimes it can feel strange to talk about having a relationship with a God whom we have never seen! Does the example of Moses help explain why God and his glory necessarily remain invisible to us?
Jesus talks to his disciples and calls them is friends in John 15:12-17. Is it appropriate to hear him addressing these words directly to us today? If so, what makes Jesus our friend and us, his friends? Again, it is clear here that this is not a friendship of equals! In what ways are you able to view Jesus as a friend? Are there things that make it difficult to view him as a friend?
There is no shortage of websites setting out the qualities we should look for in a true friend: they should be someone dependable, whom we can trust; someone with whom we can be completely honest, knowing that they listen to us; someone who accepts us, and who lifts us up when we are down. Can you think of God in those ways? If that is how God treats you, then does this mean that he is treating you as his friend?
Other websites talk about cultivating friendships with your children; they talk of making a commitment that lasts a lifetime, being prepared to invest in studying each child, getting to know them intimately, being prepared to schedule quality time to spend with them, making yourself available to them, and listening carefully to what they have to say. How important a role might these qualities be in fostering your own relationship with God? How could they be incorporated into your own daily routine?
 
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits which you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.
Amen.
 
St Richard of Chichester, from The Hodder Book of Christian Prayers

 

For a printable version of this, and previous editions, please click here.