MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

Familiar words from an old hymn capture something deep and wonderful about the Christian life. Friendship with Jesus is not simply a poetic expression; it reveals the heart of a God who desires relationship. The Bible repeatedly affirms this reality and invites us to enter in. After affectionately speaking with His disciples the night before His arrest, Jesus told them, "'No longer do I call you servants...but, I have called you friends'" (John 15:15).

Human friendships in the Old Testament often mirror the kind of loyalty and love God shows toward us. Three times Abraham is referred to as the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23) - not because he was perfect, but because he trusted God and walked with Him over many years. God shared plans with Abraham, including the coming judgment of Sodom, and invited Abraham to become an intercessor (Genesis, chapter 18).

When Naomi's life fell apart, Ruth clung to her, closer than a friend. "'Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God,'” her daughter-in-law promised in Ruth 1:16. The same quality appears in the friendship of David and Jonathan. King Saul viewed David as a rising rival, but 1 Samuel 18:1 tells us that Saul's son Jonathan loved David as his own soul. The loyalty we admire in Ruth, Jonathan, and others reflects God's loyalty toward His people.

Friendship with Jesus means access. Servants receive orders; friends receive the heart of the Master. Jesus draws us near and lets us in on what matters most to Him. Friendship, initiated by Jesus, reminds, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The order isn't repentance first, then we'll qualify for friendship. Instead, Christ moves toward us when we're still far away.

The apostle Peter's story shows both the desire and the struggle of friendship: he sincerely declared his willingness to die with Jesus, then a few hours later, denied Him. Yet the risen Christ sought out Peter, restored him, and recommissioned him (John, chapter 21). Friendship with Jesus doesn't end with failure; it's held together by His faithfulness.

Friendship for Abraham meant that he cared about what God cared about, and was willing to plead with Him on behalf of others. Even today, the closer we walk with Him, the more His heart begins to shape ours. We start to notice people He notices; we feel concern for those in spiritual danger; we find ourselves praying words that don't originate with us. We become partners with Him, rather than mere spectators.

After more than fifty years in ministry, one of the gifts that God has given our family is spiritual friendship with other believers. Some have become as close as family. We've laughed together, prayed together, carried burdens, and grown up in the same spiritual household. Sometimes, seasons of life change. Assignments end. Moves happen. The pain of separation is real. But friendship provides a comfort deeper than geography.

Michael W Smith sang, "Friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them". One day, every partial conversation will be finished, every hurried goodbye will be redeemed. Eternity will mean renewing and enjoying friendships that God has given us here. Our human friendships point back to the greater relationship, the safety found in Someone who knows our condition and loves us still, the One who sees us inside and out yet still calls us friend.

Living as a friend of God means abiding in his love - listening to His heart - allowing His concern for people to become our concern - treating other believers with the steadfast loyalty we see in the accounts of Ruth and Jonathan. Friendship like that rests on the finished work of a Friend who laid down His life for us.

As we walk closer to Jesus, the partial will one day give way to the perfect and we'll see Christ face to face. Until then, we walk with our Friend who loves us the way we are, envisions who we can be, and helps us to grow into His likeness. As that happens, we extend His friendship to others who come into our lives. "What a Friend we have in Jesus."