Not many scriptures minister to me like 2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, and James 2:23, which all talk about Abraham having been a friend of God. The thought that God can indeed call a human like you and I His friend is mind boggling, and seems unattainable! However, the good news is that a man or woman becoming a friend of God did not stop with the death of Abraham. For we see, that hundreds of years after Abraham, when God walked the earth in the person Jesus Christ, He called His disciples friends (John 15:15). This means that all humans like you and I, can also become friends of the Almighty God.
I am inspired to write about friendship with God because of what has transpired in my life in the recent days. A few weeks ago, I was faced with a big problem that I could not solve in my own strength. While prayer-walking, I talked to Jesus about it, asking Him to ‘please’ help me solve the problem. I really don’t know if I heard well, but I think I heard the Lord speak to my heart with these soothing, and yet hard-to-be-believe words: “You are My friend, and I will take care of what is troubling you!” Then a few days ago on Saturday, as he said the dedication prayer of our new house, Apostle Joseph Serwadda said, “You have shown us that the Pastor of Last Adam Tabernacle is Your friend; because great things happen to Your friends.” Now, I find it hard to believe that Apostle Serwadda was divinely inspired to refer to me as God’s friend, even if days earlier I seemed to hear the Lord Himself refer to me like that. Be that as it may, I really want to grow to that status of God saying, “Moses is My friend!”
You and I can indeed become friends of God. I know someone who believes that when in John 15:15 Jesus told His disciples that, “. . . I have called you friends,” He was also addressing all of us who would later believe in Him. This is definitely wrong theology. When we got saved, we became converts, not friends of the Lord. For us to become friends of Jesus, we must grow up from just being converts, to become disciples who thoroughly know His teachings. And as we mature, we shall not just be disciples, but servants who do the bidding of the Lord. It is only after we have been faithful servants, that we shall graduate into the Lord’s friends. That is why Jesus said to the disciples that, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants . . . but I have called you friends,” (John 15:15). The disciples had proved themselves faithful servants, and therefore qualified to be the Lord’s friends. If we are to become friends of God, we too must go via the same route as the disciples did. There are no shortcuts, but it is a billion times worth all the desire and effort.
God bless you.