I Am A Friend Of God

Recently I was thinking about friendship. I’ve been blessed over the years with some incredible people in my life, but I have also, just like everyone else, experienced betrayal and misunderstandings that ended relationships that I had assumed would last long term. So many times our understanding of Godly love is defined by human relationships, and all-to-often, because of hurts and wounds from the past, we an unable to relate to God— imagining that He will hurt us in the end, too.

This is why it is so important that we as Believers run to the Word of God. Today, let us take a look at the life of Abraham—the one God called “friend.”

 God created divine appointments so that Abram could receive a powerful blessing…  

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.’”

—Genesis 14.18

God caused powerful and mighty men to take notice…

“And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, ‘God is with you in all that you do.’”

—Genesis 21.22

God blessed Abraham to be a mighty nation…

“Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.”

—Genesis 24.1

Abraham planted a tree of remembrance, not just for himself, but also for future generations…

“Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.”

—Genesis 21.33

“And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.”

—Genesis 12.8

Abraham trusted that God would do what He said He would, despite the circumstances…

“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

—Genesis 15.6

“Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

—Romans 4.18-22

“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.”

—Hebrews 6.15

God tested their friendship, and Abraham was willing to lay down his most prized possession in order to maintain their relationship…  

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”

—Genesis 22.1-19

Abraham obeyed the Lord…

“Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

—Genesis 26.5

Abraham’s actions matched his words…

“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”

—James 2.20-22

God met with Abraham face to face, and shared His plans and purposes—allowing Abraham to reshape those plans through his requests…

“Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.’ And the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.’ ‘Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?’”

—Genesis 18.16-23

God went before Abraham and drove out his enemies…

“Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?”

—2 Chronicles 20.7

God looked after Abraham’s descendants…

“But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.”

—Isaiah 41.8

Abraham instructed his household to follow the ways of the Lord…

“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

—Genesis 18.19

When Abraham made mistakes, God was still faithful…

“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife”; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.’ So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.”

—Genesis 12.10-14

What an amazing picture of God’s faithfulness! His friendship toward us does not change. He does not have “good intentions” that fall short over time. When hope begins to fade, and you are tempted to compare the human relationships of your past to the divine relationship between you and Father God… remember Abraham.