I'll Be a Friend

Jesus is all the world to me,

my life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day,

 

without Him I would fall.

When I am sad, to Him I go,

no other one can cheer me so;

when I am sad, He makes me glad,

He's my friend.

 

In worship we sometimes sing the song, Jesus is All the World to Me, written by Will L. Thompson; a song about the friendship of Jesus.  Each stanza describes facets of Jesus’ character, which prove Him to be the truest friend we will ever have—in this life and the life to come.  We sing the lyrics “I have found a friend in Jesus” and “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,” in the hymns The Lily of the Valley and No Not One, each with words that beautifully illustrate the nature of Jesus.  This idea of Jesus being our friend is comforting, powerful…and true!

Jesus is our friend because He knows us (Psalm 139:1-18).

Jesus is our friend because He loves us (John 13:34).

Jesus is our friend because He has revealed to us what He heard from His Father (John 15:15).

Jesus is our friend because He intercedes for us in Heaven (Romans 8:34).

Jesus is our friend because He died for us.  In John 15:13, He told His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” In the ultimate display of friendship, Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross to pay for our sins so that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

Through these and many other examples found in Scripture, I can confidently say, “Jesus is my friend.”  However, as that truth permeates my heart it inevitably gives rise to a new thought; a question that requires honest self-evaluation:  “Am I a friend to Him?”

Considering that, my mind goes back to one day standing in the kitchen and looking out the window above the sink.  My son Briggs was jumping on the trampoline while executing a series of punches and kicks toward an unseen enemy.  I could tell his lips were moving and I imagine he was hurling intimidating threats and presenting attractive ultimatums.  I walked outside to find out if the odds were looking to be in his favor as the battle raged on.  “Briggs!  How’s it going?” I yelled.  Breathless, and without a break in action, he answered, “It’s good!  Me and Jesus and God are just taking on these guys!”

At five years old, Briggs could not have had a full understanding of the awesome sovereignty of God, but he did know that with God and Jesus on His side, he would win!  I love that he picked them as his teammates; I love that for him it felt completely natural to be fighting bad guys with them; and I love that he wanted to jump on the trampoline with God and Jesus as if they were his best friends.

As we grow and mature as Christians we learn more about the nature of God through Bible study and gain a greater understanding of His power and His holiness.  In Scripture we read “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him.”  When David wrote those words in Psalm 25:14, he used the Hebrew word yare, which is translated “fear,” and in this context carries the meaning “to revere.”  If we want to be a friend of the Lord we have to honor, respect, and worship Him.  We have to recognize Him as the Almighty Creator of the world and kneel before Him with a humble heart and a sincere desire to do His Will. 

In John 15:14, Jesus told His disciples that they were His friends if they did what He commanded.  When we obey Jesus, we express our friendship and demonstrate our love for Him (John 14:15).  We cannot be His friend if we ignore His Word.

We are also being a friend to Jesus when we are kind to others.  In Matthew 25, Jesus told a story about the righteous and unrighteous on the Day of Judgment.  To those seated on His right hand, the King said, “Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me…Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (vss. 34-36, 40).  When we show friendship to others, we show friendship to Jesus.

What a privilege to be referred to as “a friend of God” as Abraham was in James 2:23!  I want to live my life in such a way that I might wear the same title.  When God looks down from Heaven I pray He will find me, in all my faithful imperfection, worshipping Him, obeying Him, and serving Him through kindness to others, so that He can say the words, “She is My friend.”