WHAT A FRIEND?
04th Jan 2017
Whilst worshipping the Lord, I sang these lyrics:
All treasures of wisdom and things to be known
Are hidden inside Your hand,
And in this fortunate turn of events
You asked me to be Your friend
You asked me to be Your friend
The enormity, the possibility, and the desire that God should want our friendship, overwhelmed me, and I have found myself pondering afresh what this really means.
In human terms, friendship is characterised by a mutual desire to spend time with a person and communicate in a way that enables you to know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, desires, heartaches, etc. Friendship is a choice, and as time passes friendship will develop and deepen, along with trust and appreciation.
Friendship also has an aspect of honour; as I cultivate and nurture my friendship, I am giving value to the individual as they are to me. Jesus modelled this with His disciples, a wide circle of 70, a more manageable group of 12 and then a few who knew and understood Him, and with whom He shared more intimate moments.
I came to know Jesus at the age of eleven. My personal family circumstances were extremely difficult, and I needed a friend who was wise, caring, loving, and who would love enough to correct and guide me in life. I was introduced to the possibility of knowing God in this way and so began a journey into friendship which is still ongoing and deepening.
When someone is trying to fill the ‘God shaped hole’ with human friendship, there becomes an emotional demand which is impossible to meet. Friendship with God satisfies our need to be deeply, securely loved and accepted, only then can human connections develop and a healthy and happy way.
This year purpose to deepen your relationship with Father God, to know and be known at increasingly deeper levels. Value and deliberately give time to your friends, they are gifts from God. Recognise the demands of friendship and the rewards; trusting and being vulnerable is risky, but you were designed to be in a relationship with God and with man.
In John 15:15 Jesus says, “I no longer call you servants.....instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
What a privilege!
by Joyce Sibthorpe
