Friend Of God

Friend of God

Think about your best friend. What do you picture? Do you have any special memories? It’s great to have a friend. Someone to hang out with and talk with. Somebody who’s always got your back.

Now think about God. What comes to mind? You might think of power, or Savior, or Lord, or teacher. Friend probably wasn’t the first thing to enter your head. But you are a friend of God. You are a friend of the most powerful being in the universe. Let that sink in. It’s the truth. If you know Jesus as Savior, God calls you friend. Our relationship with God is what makes Christianity different from other world religions. From the beginning of recorded history, God was close to his people. In Deuteronomy 4:7 Moses says, “What great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him?” The answer: none.

No other people can say they’re as close to their god as we are to the one true God. Earlier in the Bible, Moses, the writer of Exodus, describes how he interacted with God. Exodus 33:11 says, “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Okay, we’re not all Moses. (First, because we wouldn’t all look good with a beard. Ha!) But God wants us to live out our faith, just like that hero of the Bible did. And as God guided his people in Moses’ time, he guides us today by his Spirit and through the Bible. We don’t need to go into a “Tent of Meeting” to talk with God. We can pray to him anytime we want . . . just like a good friend.

Daddy-Daughter Time

Do you treat God like a distant, powerful force, or a close, personal friend? What are some ways you can treat God more like a friend?

Talk together about the qualities of a good friend. You probably want a friend who’s loyal, caring, unselfish, and truthful. Add some more things to this list: _______________________________________.

Does God fit all those characteristics?

Now talk about how you build a deep friendship. You might spend time together, talk on the phone, text each other, and do things that you both enjoy. You can do those things with God by praying, reading his Word, and keeping a journal. But instead of building up a friendship, a lot of Christians neglect their relationship with God by not spending much time with him. Try to learn something new about your Friend this week.

What’s The Word?

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.   Exodus 33:11