My Friend, God

by Bethany Lashbrook

This Week's Verse: John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (NIV)

Devotion:
What do you call your Lord? Is he your Rock, Redeemer, or Protector? Is he your Way, your Truth and your Life? Is he your Shepherd, your Prince, or your Father? He can be referred to as the Holy One, The Living One, and the Son of Man. He is Almighty, the Beginning and the End, and the Lord of Lords. Of course, he is our God, our Savior, and our Living Word.

And lately, He keeps telling me he is my Friend.

I have been going through a “dark” spiritual time lately. For no reason in particular I am struggling in my Christian walk. Maybe my mood is reflected upon days and days of no sun. Maybe I have cabin fever. Maybe I am just in a rut. Whatever the reason, I keep hearing my Lord say “talk to me, I am your Friend”.

I’ve never really thought of God as my friend, but rather as a Father. And, I don’t know about you, but there is a lot of “stuff” I don’t tell my earthly father, or my Heavenly Father. Yet just knowing that I have had a friend to talk to has made a world of difference these last several weeks.

Sure, I have plenty of Christian friends I could call. I have many who would love to talk with me to get me out of this funk. But for whatever reason, I have chosen to remain silent to them and be completely open with my Friend, God. He always listens. He always stays with me. He doesn’t ridicule my actions, yet He stands firm in the way of The Word, and reminds me of how I should be acting. He reminds me that my walk will not always be some glorious road; rather it has lots of twists and turns.

Thanks to my new friend, God, I have been able to release some stress through constant prayer to Him. I find myself whispering to Him at all times during the day. At night, when I can’t sleep, to prayer I go. I’m so thankful that I have felt His presence in my life and am rewarded from our friendship!

Lord, thank you for our friendship. Please continue to guide and direct me through this spiritual journey. Amen.

Application:
What do you call God? Is it time to see Him in a different light to further your relationship with Him? As I have heard it said: “go to the throne, not the phone”. The Lord is here to listen, at all times!

Power Verses:
James 2:23, "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."(NIV)
Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."(NIV)
Proverbs 17:17, "Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families’ stick together in all kinds of trouble."(MSG)