127. My Friends
John 15:14, 15, 16a Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you…but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
We are familiar with the various images the Bible uses to describe the relationship between God and believers: sheep, bride, children, branches, members of body, and others. Here Jesus says we are friends. It is helpful for us to be aware of any of these Biblical metaphors that describe the relationship we have with God. Our connection is many-sided and any one of these will make us aware of how close we are to the invisible God. This awareness affects our approach to Him in prayer.
Jesus regards us as friends. Friends do things for each other as favors, sometimes expecting something in return and sometimes not. Friends also confide in one another, share secrets, and trust one another.
Abraham was called “the friend of God,” and because of Jesus Christ so am I. God confides in me and I in Him. In Genesis 18:17, “The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’” Abraham and God then engage in a dialogue about the destruction of Sodom. God has taken us, his friends, into his confidence as well, just as Jesus says, “All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” God has confided in us His intentions in the Word of God, and He allows us to engage with Him in prayer. “What a Friend we have in Jesus.”
Moses conversed with the Lord as a friend, as in Exodus 33:11, “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Although we do not appear to speak with God in this face-to-face way, in truth, Jesus has brought us into close access to the Father wherein we also converse as friends. He confides in us and reveals Himself through the Gospel, and we confide in Him in prayer. “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!”