--By Audra Salmans
“No longer do I call
you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made
known to you.”
John 15:15
I
don't know about y'all, but I have a hard time thinking of God as my friend.
There's just something about me referring the Creator of Heaven and
Earth, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as my friend that I just can't wrap my
mind around. But it says right here in John that He wants to be our friend.
Here are five strategies I've used to help me know God as Master and Friend.
1. Talk to Him
Whenever
something happens to me, even if it's not something particularly exciting, I am
normally dying to tell my best friend. Talk to Him about more
than just your problems. Bring it all to Him because He wants to know! Tell Him the funny stories,
the aggravating moments, the things you can't wait to do tomorrow! Tell
God everything you would tell your friends. He cares about us and He loves to
hear us talk!
2. Listen to Him
Just
like when you tell your friend all your woes and she gives you all the advice
she can, God not only listens, but He responds. His Spirit is always with
believers, guiding, reminding, prompting, and illuminating. He is sufficient
for every situation, like when that one kid is pestering you in class, or that new
girl that would love to hang out with you at school. Sometimes we forget that
He wants to answer our prayers!
3. DO with Him
Do
you have certain things that you ALWAYS do with your friend? Maybe you take
walks around your neighborhood, maybe you skip rocks at a pond, maybe you
listen to music in a certain place that no one else knows about. God wants to
DO with you. I want to laugh more with God. That's pretty much the thing I love
most about my best friend: she can make me laugh when I think I'd rather mope.
If I can laugh with her I can laugh with my Heavenly Father! After all, He
knows all my funny stories and embarrassing moments even better than she does!
Set aside a certain time to DO with Him. Go on a walk with God and laugh like
it's just the two of you! :)
4. Read the Word
When
you see a text from your best friend, what do you do? Open it like it will
evaporate if you don't read it fast, or leave it and promise yourself you'll get
to it later? Of course you read it! We can think of Bible verses in the same
way. He wrote the Scriptures for you—are you going to leave them there to read
later? He may have something very important to tell you right at that moment.
When you feel down He may remind you of Lamentations 3:22-23; when you
feel alone He has given you Hebrews 13:5; and when you just don't know where to
turn anymore, He wrote Psalm 46:10. He has sent us these verses knowing that we
will need them. Use the tools He has given us.
5. Strive to Become Like Him
The
only way you can be best friends with anyone is if you share common interests.
God's ways are entirely holy and good. We need to become more like Him, and
loving others is an easy place to start. John 15:12 says, “This is My
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” He has loved us in
spite of our faults. In response to this amazing love, let’s strive to become
more like Him in our thoughts and our actions.
God
is good! He wants to be our friend! If we can choose Him over the ways of this
world, He will provide all we crave: The Love of a Friend.
Do you think of God as your Friend? What ways do you want to grow in this area? Share in the comments!
