04/27/2019
We are inclined to reach out to God when we are in need, and rightly so, but is that the only time we do so? God is our provider, protector, Lord who establishes laws, and many other such things, but He wants more than these official responsibilities; He wants to be our friend, and our companion. Do you walk with the Lord? Do you seek to know not only what He is, and what He will do for you, but who He is? Have you allowed God to be your friend and companion?
“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.”
Psalms 67:6 ESV
We know that God looks after our needs, and that He love’s and blesses us, but too often we we think that all He wants from us is for us to believe in him, to praise and worship him, and to love Him as our God. In fact, God desires something more... He wants us to be His friend, and be in companionship with Him. Are we ready to be called God’s friend?
“and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God.”
James 2:23 ESV
God desires to befriend man, and walk with him in conversation. Many of us tend to limit the interpretation of “walking with God” to mean following His laws and commandments, or leading a righteous life, and we limit the idea of an intimate and personal relationship to the Son. Yet, that is not the feeling and implication we get from scripture. Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden as is implied in Genesis 3:8, and God called out to him in a familiar voice...
“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"”
Genesis 3:8-9 ESV
Enoch also walked with God:
“Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:22 ESV
And, Noah walked with God:
“These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
Genesis 6:9 ESV
Now it is our turn to walk with God, and Jesus has made this more than possible for us. We are to walk with God through our faith in Christ and by the Holy Spirit. Yet we continuously limit ourselves to the “following Him” definition, and don’t dare allow ourselves to become familiar with Him... to be a friend and companion to the mighty God of all creation terrifies us in some way. We call Him Father, but do so in a very strict and distant way. We intimately love the Son, but just don’t seem able to extend that same type of love to God. We tend to see God as the rule maker, and overseer...
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16 ESV
So, what I am saying is that we are to develop a close and personal relationship with both Jesus and God. As a matter of fact we should foster this relationship with all of our faithful brothers and sisters in God and Christ. Listen to these words in Psalm 119:
“I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.”
Psalms 119:63 ESV
I have developed a friendship with another Christian man that I value dearly. We don’t live near enough to one another so that we can be together as often as we would like, but when we do it is a special relationship. We keep the same precepts of faith, and this is the foundation for our friendship, but a companion is something different, as friends we enjoy each other’s company and have affection towards one another, but this is different from companionship, a companion is someone we spend time with, and have a like interest or connection with. So I try to text and email to Bridge the gap between the times we see each other. In these communications I try to keep our common interests alive with creative writing, poems, stories, and such. In this way I am hoping to enhance not only our friendship, but companionship as well.
When we have become friends with God we should lean on prayer, and other means of making certain our friendship is also a companionship. The good news is that God is with us always, and there is no obstacle of distance. We can do things with Him, and converse with Him, all day long. Every step we take is another in our walk with Him. Even so, we need to participate in joint ventures to foster our companionship... we need to work together on projects to foster a feeling of togetherness... His will. More often than not, we provide the work, He provides the means, and together we share in the creativity.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV
So God is more than a religion, an institution, or a government that provides, leads, or rules us... He is our friend and companion, and we should feel the love and togetherness that comes of this. Are you participating in this relationship that God desires to have with you? Do you have open and intimate conversations? Do you work on His will for you together? Are you walking in the Garden each day?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for wanting to be my friend, and for allowing me to befriend you. I also thank you for being not only my creator, and God, but my companion in life. Help me to hear your voice Father, and to recognize those projects and adventures that you would like for us to participate in together. Let every moment of every day be spent with you, and help me when I wander off on my own to find my way back to you. Keep my ear a tuned to your voice, and teach me that when you call out “Where are you?” I am to answer “Here am I!” Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God and my Friend. Great are you who desires my companionship, and great is your Son Jesus Christ who opened the door to the fullness of our relationship by His sacrifice through which I found your forgiveness and grace. I worship you Holy Father, and give you all of my love, that you might find glory in our togetherness forever.
Rich Forbes