“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born
for adversity” Proverbs 17:17 (NASB).
“Making Friends with Jesus.” I couldn’t wait
to get started on the new study, but every time I saw the title my heart squirmed.
There was just something about that word—friend.
A part of me felt like Jesus was my friend already, and the part that was
more in touch with reality knew He and I had some work to do in that area.
I’m one of those
fortunate women whose parents introduced her to Jesus at a young age, so it’s
hard to remember a time when He wasn’t my Savior. Over the past several years,
especially in the last two, I’ve learned to trust God as my provider, my
protector, my advocate, and my most trusted advisor. I was beginning to see
Jesus as the perfect husband. But friend? In the past, I might have said that I
found the term too casual, but I knew it went deeper than that. If I had to be
perfectly honest, He had become one of those friends whose arms I’d learned to
lean into when I ached for comfort while still struggling to trust Him
completely. Why?
I had a lot of friends,
including many who taught me what it meant to be Christ-like. Through them I learned
that a true friend doesn’t just say “We’re friends,” they show it. They live “I
care about you” to the point where they don’t need to say it. Hadn’t Jesus done
that? Didn’t I know better than to expect Him to be like those who’d left me
wounded? Hadn’t I heard Him whisper a thousand times, “I’m not like people?” and found it to be true?
Maybe it had to
do with the long season of loss I was recovering from, and that something in me
still lived in dread of the day when God would strip me of more. How was it
possible to have that kind of expactation of someone and also feel like best friends?
Or perhaps, while
I was trying to get through each day, I never took the time to get to know the
One who held me together through all the turmoil.
Whatever the
reason or combination of reasons, I longed to see Jesus as a friend that I
fully trusted and loved. Like so many areas of my life, I realized that this
was my chance for a fresh start, and this time it was a fresh start with Him.
“A friend loves
at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” Proverbs 17:17 says. This
verse may not have been written with Christ in mind, but He certainly models it.
Doesn’t He continue to love us at all times, even when we ignore Him, or save
Him as the one to run to when we can’t reach anyone else? Is He not there to
share every adversity that we suffer whether we invite Him to or not? Has He
not proven Himself beyond faithful? Then why is it so difficult to see Jesus as
our friend?
How incredible
it is to know that, no matter what fears, hurts, or even excuses we name as our
possible answer, He still wants us. He doesn’t reach a point where He grows
tired of the one-sided relationship and says, “I’m done.” He isn’t like us.
Perhaps Jesus is
inviting you to a fresh start with Him too. What is holding you back? What
might you gain by saying, “Okay Jesus; You know how scared I am, but I’m ready
to let You be my friend.”
Jesus,
forgive the fears that trip me up as I try to trust You more. Thank You for being
so patient, even when I keep You at arms’ length, even when I treat You as a
last resort. Thank you for new beginnings, especially those that allow me to
get to know You in a deeper way. Amen.
