I was happy to see a good friend's name show up on my caller ID a couple of weeks ago. She is one of those friends you can depend on to share a good laugh or cry, and lots of faith-building conversation. A victim of the lagging Michigan economy, she has now relocated out-of-state, so phone calls take on a whole new sense of importance. This conversation was laced with the usual catching up and sharing of our joys and sorrows. Her sorrow these days lies in the loneliness that accompanies life away from home. The search for a new set of friends is harder than homebodies like myself fully realize.
My response to her dilemma took on a Pollyanna tone when I replied with a heartfelt, “Well, you always have your best friend, Jesus.” I was surprised when she confessed that she never really viewed God that way. God is God after all, but a friend? That's something different altogether. My heart aches when I think about my friend, whose faith has often awed me, not knowing the side of Jesus that I hold most dear - Jesus, my friend.
This isn't the first time I have encountered this situation, and I am doubtful that it will be the last. Jesus has extended a hand of friendship to us all. In John 15:15, Jesus shows us the ropes on friendship:
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.
Just as is true of close friendships between us ordinary folk, to be Jesus' friends, we have to get to know Him. Reading His word, prayer, and time spent together are great ways to start. Talk to Jesus, as you would any close friend, with the bare vulnerability that allows a deep friendship to blossom. If you don't know what to say, then start by saying just that, “Jesus, I don't know what to say.” Then, listen. I am often amazed by how a conversation that starts so simply, ends in a beautiful revelation that could only come from God himself.
In the past, I was afraid that if I took the time to stop and listen for God, all I would get in response would be dead air. Why would God want to talk to me? How will I know if I am hearing His voice, or if the response is nothing more than my own random thoughts? It turns out that I was greatly over complicating the issue. In John 10:14, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me...” When you have accepted Jesus into your life, you are a part of his flock. You will know His voice when you hear it. If you are ever in doubt, there is a simple way to keep yourself in check. Jesus is the good shepherd. A word from Him will bring forth results that are good for both you and the people around you. Patience, prayer and the word of God are our guides. Jesus will not lead us astray.
The grace of God through Christ Jesus is a gift, but His friendship does not come without stipulation. In John 15, Jesus goes on to say that we are His friends, if we keep His command to love one another as He has loved us. If we desire a close friendship with the Lord, then we need to live our lives from a place of unrestricted love and compassion for others. The true test of our commitment to the Lord comes when we choose to love the people in our lives that hurt us. My friendship with Jesus reaches new levels, when I lean on Him to help me love someone who hasn't always treated me the way I would like to be treated. It is in these times that I see Him most clearly.
My friendship with Jesus brings me greater joy than I ever knew was possible. When Jesus declared His friendship with the disciples he said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” It's true – my friendship with Jesus completes me. There is nothing like it. Give it a try; you'll see what I mean.
