Friends For The Journey

My favorite movies of all times are probably the three Lord of the Rings movies. One of my favorite scenes in the movies is the scene where Aragorn is crowned King and married Arowyn. The adoring throngs are gathered and bow down to reverence their new king. When the four little hobbits bow down, Aragorn stops them and says, “you bow down to no one, you are my friends!”

The Fellowship of the Ring is about many things, danger, war, good and evil, temptation, perseverance and courage. But above all, it is about friendship. The nine members of the fellowship are forged into a deep bond of friendship by their common adversity. Even the dwarf and the elf enter the deep and abiding bonds of friendship, despite their ethnic and cultural difference.

I read a book review of Charles Bracelen Flood’s Grant and Sherman: The Friendship that Won the Civil War. Here is a quote from Sherman about his relationship to Grant: “He stood by me when I was crazy and I stood by him when he was drunk.”

Someone suggest to me several years ago that I should get a master’s degree. He told me that I could get it much faster if I did it on-line. I immediately responded that I preferred to get the degree through face-to-face contact so that I would make some new friends. Those ‘new’ friends are all of you!

This leads in to chapter 11 of the Purpose-Driven Life. Rick Warren affirms that God wants to be your best friend. Below is a brief, one page summary. Anyone want to meet up this week for conversation? Let me know. I can make some time. ~ J

Becoming Best Friends with God (Chapter 11).

God wants to be your best friend.
We were made to live in God’s continual presence, but due to human sin, that ideal relationship was lost. Only a few people have been called ‘friends of God’, Moses and Abraham among them. David was described as a “man after God’s own heart” (p. 85).

Jesus said: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

God deeply desires that we know him intimately. In fact, he planned the universe and orchestrated history, including the details of our lives, so that we could become his friends.

It’s difficult to imagine how an intimate friendship is possible between an omnipotent, invisible, perfect God and a finite, sinful human being.

SECRETS OF FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD.

Through constant conversation (p. 87).You will never grow close to God just by going to church once a week or even praying once a day. Friendship with God is built by sharing all your life experiences with him. He wants to be included in every activity, every conversation, every problem, and even every thought. You can carry on a continuous, open-ended conversation with him throughout your day, talking with him about whatever you are doing or thinking at that moment. “Praying without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17).

The classic book on learning how to develop a constant conversation with God is Practicing the Presence of God, written in the 17th century by Brother Lawrence, a cook in a French monastery. On of his key ideas was to pray short conversational prayers continually through the day rather than trying to pray long sessions of complex prayers (p. 88).

These are called “breath prayers” and are based on brief or simple sentences that can be repeated in one breath: You are with me,” “I receive your grace,” “I’m depending on you.” “I want to know you.” “I belong to you.” “Help me trust you.”

Practicing the presence of God is a skill, a habit you can develop. Just as musicians practice sales every day in order to play beautiful music with ease, you must force yourself to think about God at different times in your day. You must train your mind to remember God (p. 89).

Through continual meditation. A second way to establish your friendship with God is by thinking about his word throughout your day. This is called meditation. It is imposible to be God’s friend apart from knowing what he says. You can’t love God unless you know him, and you can’t know him without knowing his word.

Meditation is often understood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. But meditation is simply focused thinking—a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.

When you think about a problem over and over in your mind that is called worry. When you think about God’s word over and over in your mind, that’s mediation. King David said in his Psalms (songs) to God: “Oh, how I love your low! I meditate on it all day long.” And, “They are constantly in my thoughts, I cannot stop thinking about them.” (p. 90).

Friends share secrets, and God will share his secrets with you if you develop the habit of thinking about his word throughout the day.

Next week, we will study four more secrets for becoming God’s best friend.

Point to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend.

Verse to remember: “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him” (Psalm 25:14).

Question to consider: What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day?