BY GREG CRUM

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Last week we wrote of the Holy Spirit, and one of the things we mentioned was how much He wants to help us in every aspect of our lives. We said that He was so helpful to us, patient with us, and generous with His time and effort He affords us. Our conclusion to all of this? What a friend we have in the Holy Spirit!

With that said, you do realize that the Holy Spirit isn’t the only part of the Trinity that can be our friend, right? Since our youth, many of us have sung “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” what’s more, our Heavenly Father can be that friend that sticks closer than a brother foretold of in Proverbs. In fact, God can be our greatest friend, not in theory, not figuratively, but literally, and in reality.

Now, some would say that this isn’t really possible in any practical way. That even to speak like it is so is demeaning to God and tries to bring Him down to our level. Well, I agree that we need to safeguard the majesty and holiness of God in our hearts and minds, but in this instance, God Himself has already set the precedent. Take another look at Exodus 33:8-11, Isaiah 41:8, and James 2:23 and you’ll see that God has already befriended man!

So, God can be our friend, our best friend in fact, but what’s the appeal in that? What makes Him so desirable as a friend? What makes Him such a “great” friend anyway? To answer those questions, you have to consider some of the attributes that great friends demonstrate. Now, if you’ve been privileged enough to have a great friend at some time in your life you know that truly great friends are good listeners, they are loyal (sometimes to a fault), and they love you to the end. According to Scripture, does God meet these criteria? Check, check, and triple check!

I Peter 3:12 states, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers…” and 2 Samuel 22:7 lets us know that when we are in trouble, it’s God who hears our call! God is a great listener. He pays attention to even the smallest details of our lives, He is interested in our successful walk with Him, and He does all this without being overbearing! Wow, could you ask for a better ear to hear all we have to say when our hearts are full of the ebbs and flows of this life?

Secondly, God is loyal. He won’t utterly forsake us, even when we aren’t pleasing to Him. I mean, you’ve read the Bible, right? Most of the Old Testament is a testament to His loyalty to mankind who is constantly messing things up. To be clear, it’s not that He overlooks sin, or is okay with it, He just will not forsake us and act like we are a stain on the family name. He’ll instead stand with us and offer words of correction and guidance.

Finally, if you really believe God is loyal to an often rebellious mankind, you might be asking yourself, “Why?” Well, it’s because He really, really loves us. Proverbs 17:17 declares that “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” If a human friend can love us in spite of our failures, how much more can God! He can and he does, and with an extraordinary love. The best friend kind of love.

In I Corinthians 13 we read about the love of God that is put into our hearts when we become born again. It’s what is available to us through the Holy Spirit’s work inside of us, and God’s expectation of us towards others, but that’s only possible because that’s the way God loves us. He doesn’t ask us to treat others in a way that He doesn’t treat us. He is patient and kind, He believes the best in us, and He doesn’t file our sins in the memory banks for later ammunition to be used against us. It’s the best kind of love, and that makes Him the best kind of friend!

Brothers and sisters, God is a great friend. He wants to befriend us. How can we befriend Him? James 2:23-24 gives us the answer. We must believe in Him, not just as the Creator, or the Savior, but as the One who wants to be our nearest friend!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.