Everyone wants to be known and to be loved, and God Himself is no exception. In fact, the creation of humanity reflects this universal desire. The Bible states that God walked on earth in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8), intentionally seeking fellowship with Adam and Eve. He wants an intimate relationship with us, and time and time again he invites us to respond. It was after Adam and Eve sinned that this relationship became difficult. Mankind could no longer respond to God’s invitation in the way that He originally meant it. That kind of friendship could not exist without sacrifice.
Our sinful nature is the symptom of a broken relationship with the Father. God could have simply left us to our own sinful devices and start over elsewhere. Instead, He extended His hand, and committed His greatest act of love: He laid down His life for us – His friends. How amazing is this! We, not just the patriarchs of the Bible, are also counted among those that hold that special bond with Him. Abraham was counted as God’s friend after years of devout belief and faith (James 2:23), and David, sharing snippets of his intimate conversations with the Lord in his Psalms, was a man after God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14).
What if we communed with God like Abraham? What if we pursued Him like David? What does it look like to walk with Him in the cool of the day? Is it still possible to have a friendship so deep that God would see us as someone after His own heart?
In a word, yes! God holds a special place for those he calls friends:
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
– John 15:12-13
God does not take a step back. He steps forward, meeting our desire to be known and loved with His (1 John 4:7). If we choose good friends, they can be a wonderful source of love, laughter, healing, and encouragement. No one meets these requirements more fully than the One that loves us the most. Our friend, the Almighty God and King of Kings, wishes to be all of that and more to us. He loves us at all times, comforts and edifies us when we need it the most (1 Thess. 5:11). He will never abandon us in the midst our troubles (Deut. 31:6) and holds us close when we hurt.
This amazing friend wants to do these and so much more. All we have to do is reach out and accept Him.
– Eszter Willard, Staff Writer
To view courses in Spanish, click here.
