Are You a Good Friend?

Prayer ~ Lord God…Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you. Psalm 9:10. May You fill my heart and life with confidence in You…like that of Abram…as I search for You with all my heart, mind, and soul.

And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God. James 2:23  

I’ve been thinking for years about the word “friend” and friendship.  What does it mean Biblically or spiritually? What did Jesus teach about being a friend? I want to focus on what it means to be a friend…and what it takes to develop a friendship. I’ve asked some people where they find their friends…and I’m contemplating why friendships last…or don’t. What are the qualities of a friend? What does it take to be a good friend…or to have a good friend? There are books and books about this…but I still want to see what God has to say to me…and to each person who is reading this blog. Let me know what you think about the topic of friends.

 

Desert Crossing
Abraham's friend as they traveled
to the Promised Land.
Israel

Who is a friend of God? One of the first people mentioned in the Bible associated with the word friend is Abraham. He was even called the friend of God.  Why was he considered a friend of God? Was it due to his obedience? Remember Abram (Abraham’s pre-God experience name) and Sarai (Sarah), his wife, left the region of Ur of the Chaldeans along with Abram’s father, Terah, and nephew, Lot, and headed for Canaan—the land promised by God. (See Genesis 11-12.) After Terah died, Abram received God’s promise. “I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you.” Genesis 12:2. God hadn’t given any of Abram’s ancestors…Adam and Eve or Noah any such promise. But He looked into Abram’s heart and saw a righteous man—a man of integrity. A man who could be trusted to listen and obey; one who trusted God for the future.

 

Consider the challenges that Abram faced traveling to a new country, famines, and unknown situations like a Pharaoh who thought Sarai was Abram’s sister. Abram was not very forthright about his relationship to Sarai a couple of times—but God protected them…and thus protected the future Hebrew people. That is one of the things friends do for each other—protect each other. God kept His promise to Abram that He would make him a great nation—but Abram and Sarai did not have any children at that time. Still, God promised to bless them. He had a plan. Abram and Sarai were part of that plan.

 

Do you trust God to provide for you…to be your God? Is He your friend…are you His friend? Do you have a relationship with Him?

 

Verse of Salvation ~ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, "Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you." 1 Chronicles 16:34-35

 

© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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