I was raised as a Catholic, and I never learned Bible stories or sang hymns as a child. So, when I went to a Baptist church while in college, I was clueless about the Bible, and I also had to learn a whole new repertoire of songs.
A man, who remains a good and encouraging friend today, bought me a children’s Bible so I could read after-school stories to children who were allowed to stay. This is how I learned the Bible events as they occurred in the history of time. One of my favorite hymns that I learned was “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
The concepts of the Word of God, the sacrificial Lamb, the soon coming King of the universe being my friend all absolutely “blew” my mind. I felt so honored and privileged, especially when I learned that He abides by His Spirit within every authentic Born Again Believer (Romans 8:26).
As a melancholy personality and a loner, I did not have many close friends, but to have Jesus Christ as my friend who sticks closer than a brother was a thrilling fact for me (Proverbs 17:17, 18:24; John 15:15); especially because I had three younger brothers who usually treated me with tenderhearted care.
Over my years of walking with the Lord, I learned other facts about my relationship with Jesus. We abide in His love when we walk in His statutes (John 15:10). He is our advocate with our Heavenly Father – interceding for us and acknowledging us because we acknowledge Him (Matthew 10:32).
Jesus gave Himself in our place as our sacrificial Lamb who ransomed us from the grave and from hell (1 Timothy 2:5) He prays for those who believe in Him through their words and deeds, so that our faith in Him will not fail, and so we can strengthen other Believers when we trust in Him through our trials (Luke 22:32; John 17:20-21).
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for sending Jesus to us as our only way, truth, and life to open the door for us to come to You (John 14:6). We are so privileged to have Jesus interceding for us during our times of need as our brother, co-heir to all that is Yours, and our friend. Your divine plan for the salvation of all mankind is awesome, gracious, and eternal.
As we watch the “movie” of our life unfolding before our eyes, we are constantly amazed at how much Your Trinity cares for us in every way. We are so blessed that You abide in us, surround us and walk with us (Colossians 1:27; Psalm 139:1-6). Thank You for the honor of calling You our Father, and of having Your undivided attention every moment of every day. We worship You, almighty God, because there is no god like You (Isaiah 45:5).
Thoughts for the Day:
The triune God is our best friend - supporting us and unconditionally loving us, as we share with Him our deepest secrets, -as well as our dreams and aspirations, concerns and cares, hopes and desires. He never, ever leaves or forsakes us, gossips about us, betrays our privacy, or ridicules and shames us. In fact, He came to earth in human form as Jesus to pay the penalty we owed for all our sins.
- Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 44:6-8
