-6.png)
What does it truly mean to live a life where you understand that you are a friend of God? Many of us have reached a point in life where we have prayed for a revelation of God in our lives. Where we didn’t just want to read about God, but we wanted to experience Him. The funny thing is that we yearn for what God has already provided. The Christian walk is about walking with God. There is no loneliness on this walk because God is ever-present.
I was reminded of the friendships that God has had with men and women throughout human history during Christmas. Luke 2 : 25 - 45 recounts the experience of a man named Simeon, he is described as being devout and righteous. Simeon encounters baby Jesus in the temple and he praises God with these words:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The bible says the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. I began to wonder about how the people of old had these amazing relationships with God. They spoke to God and God spoke to them. God revealed to them the things that would happen in the future. Simeon was saying, ‘Lord the thing you promised; I have seen it, I’m now happy to leave this life.’ Can you imagine saying those words? To be so happy and satisfied, such that you are ready to take leave of this life because you have witnessed all that God promised. This is what it looks like when you trust God with all of your heart.
God has called us into friendship, the nature of the friendship is up to us. The invitation was extended by Christ on the cross. It’s an open invitation, whenever we are ready, He is waiting.
What kind of friends are we? Are we that friend who never returns calls? Are we a friend that is always too busy for a heart to heart chat? Are we a friend that sometimes acknowledges the friendship and at other times treats God as an acquaintance?
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” ~ John 15: 15
How can we be lonely when God has called us into friendship? Remind yourself of this next time you feel lonely. We are spiritual beings having an earthly experience, not earthly beings having a spiritual experience. Perhaps that’s the reason we can feel lonely even when surrounded by people. It’s a spirit thing! We are neglecting our first love, a friendship that is between the spirit of God in us and the Holy Spirit. The things that satisfy the flesh can never satisfy the spirit. A feasting Christmas may be food for the body, but the fattening of the spirit is time spent in prayer, meditation, worship, praise, and fasting. Without the spiritual feast, we are left starving.
How can we hear God? God speaks all the time. We need to train ourselves to hear. Like the boy Samuel who had never heard the voice of God, the prophet Eli told him, when you hear your name being called just say, “Speak Lord your servant hears.” May this become our daily prayer -- Speak Lord, your servant is listening. Isn’t it interesting that God would take the time to speak to a child? Samuel obviously knew of God because of living in the temple, but he didn’t know God. He had to be instructed to know how to receive.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
The Holy Spirit is always at work on our behalf. Romans 8: 26 - 27 tells us that even when we pray, the Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf; helping us with the things we fail we put into words or fail to comprehend. The Holy Spirit is always standing in the gap for us, to align us with the will of God. What a friend!
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” ~ John 14: 26
What about when we’re not sure if it’s God speaking? With our closest friends we can tell if they said something or not even through a third party just based on how well we know our friend. There are some things we know they would never say because we have had lengthy discussions on those topics. We can be even more certain with God. We must get accustomed to Him, everything has been laid out for us in the Bible. The Word of God is a lamp. Think about the purpose of a lamp, to allow us to see in dark places. The Word of God is a light on our path. It is there to show us the way to walk. God will never contradict His word. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” ~ Psalm 119: 105
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” ~ Hebrews 13: 8
This is how we can never ever feel lonely ever again: In those quiet moments where we don’t really have anything to do or anyone to speak to. Speak to God. We are told in Ephesians 6: 18 to pray in the spirit on all occasions about all things. Prayer is us talking to God. We are never alone. We don’t have to rush to social media every second we find ourselves alone in the natural. God is always beside us. Let’s make the conscious decision to grow in friendship with the Almighty.
God has called you a friend.
**If this was encouraging to you please COMMENT we would love to hear your thoughts. Please do us a favor and SHARE with a friend. SUBSCRIBE for more inspiring articles based on the Word of God. **
Comments