Prayer ~ Jesus, I rejoice in knowing You…in having You for a friend.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:6-11

Meditate. Do you see God as a friend?

 

No fear of darkness or falling.
Jesus is my friend.
Is He your friend, too?

Rise above with the Lord.
Prosser, WA Balloon Festival. 

There was a lady who used to attend my Sunday School class but has moved away. She was offended that people would consider themselves a friend of God…of Jesus. She was a very devout and a person who was deeply respectful of God, but she just couldn’t consider God her “friend.” Did she grow up singing the song “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” like so many people of our age? I don’t know, but I do know that was an important song to me. It brought scripture alive…we could carry all our hopes and fears to Jesus and He would bear them. We didn’t have to have fears—although I was still afraid of the dark and of falling. Knowing who Jesus was gave meaning and hope to my life, even before I accepted Him as my Savior. There were a lot of building blocks associated with becoming a “friend” of Jesus. I had to get to know Him…not just in Bible stories, but as a person who cared about me—and eventually I was able to confess my sins and be forgiven. God had indeed sent His Son, Jesus, at just the right time for me…while I was still a sinner. Having the weight of those sins removed was enormous. I remember just feeling lighter—no heavy burden hanging around my neck. Singing that song about Jesus being my friend—whether I went to church or not—was all about my relationship with Him. It still is. I’m so glad that I have a friendship with Jesus and with God our Father. I rejoice knowing that Jesus is my Savior and my friend. Do you rejoice in your relationship with God, with Jesus, or even with other Christians?

 

Verse of Salvation ~ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. Romans 5:10

 

© 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. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

 

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories