Friendship With God – To Know and Be Known

Sometimes, the world can seem a lonely place. Even with all our internet connections and online friends, we can feel isolated if we don’t cultivate face-to-face friends – the kind of friendships where you play pickleball together or grab coffee to catch up on life. If you feel isolated, it’s easy to slip into depression.

“I no longer call you servants… Instead, I have called you friends…” John 15:15 NIV

We were made for community. God designed us with an innate desire to know and be known. To do life with others! The glorious thing is that He has offered to fill that void – that place in our lives that desires fellowship – with His friendship.

God wants to spend time with you.

God longs to spend time with you. If you’ve ever felt a nudge to set your alarm a few minutes early and spend time in God’s Word, or a gentle tap on the shoulder to turn off the TV and pray… These are God’s way of saying, “Come away with me. Spend time with me. Let’s do life together!”

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?'” Genesis 3:8, 9

Why do we resist? Why do we turn down a date with the Creator of the universe? Why do we so often hide, as Adam and Eve did in the garden when God is seeking us out?

Friendships require something of us.

Friendships require something of us. It takes time to cultivate good relationships. It requires vulnerability to open our lives to someone, even if that someone is God, and let them see inside our hearts – our faults and failures, our fears and unspoken dreams laid bare for them to see.

“‘Abraham believed God…’ and he was called God’s friend.” James 2:23

Friendship invites us to trust one another enough to step into the give-and-take of a long-lasting friendship. We’ve all had those friends who drain us or the ones who move away and move on. God is not like that. He is invested in you. He cares for you, and He is interested in the details of your life, no matter how boring, dry, or silly you think they may be.

The sweet communion of friendship.

“Come away, my beloved…” Song of Solomon 8:14

I love to walk and talk with a friend, don’t you? Conversation flows freely, and there’s an immediate common ground as we circle the park or walk around the neighborhood together.

It’s the same for me with God. I love to walk and pray, and the rhythm of the movement calms my soul as I open my heart to the Living God, my Savior, and my friend.

I trust that He cares. I trust He won’t judge as I confess my petty insecurities or hidden sins. He’s there with open arms and an even more open heart, willing to let me into His life, no matter who I am or what I’ve done.

Truly, I have the better side of this friendship because He’s more than a listening ear. He’s forgiveness, redemption, love, holiness, grace, and power all rolled into one. He is my friend, my ever-constant companion in this thing we call life.

You can be a friend of God.

Do you know God like that? If you don’t, then you can.

Respond to the nudging of His Holy Spirit. Pay attention to the promptings to step away from the busyness of life and draw near to Him. Listen for His call in the early mornings or the cool of the day. Get to know the One who calls you by name.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni’ (which means ‘Teacher’).” John 20:16