FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS
by Eva Haglund
If we are in a period of loneliness we can learn to know God as our Friend. When David was outside with the sheep he learned to know Him as a friend. He was worshiping Him. David took time with God in a relationship. Sometimes worship is not counted so important but the Bible tell us to sing to God. We see that David was worshiping God.
We read in Acts that Paul and Silas were worshiping in prison. In Psalm 139:3 it is written, "Let them praise His name with dance." We also need dance in a relation with God. Some think that dance to God is just for some but I think it is for anybody and that it also can be strong spiritually and that we need it. We can see already small children moving in dance to music. David danced to God and so did Miriam. We can do it, too. Sometimes people do not like it but as David experienced it is good to continue. To worship and dance to Jesus has relationship with God. He is in the centrum. We also need the prophetic songs and dance.
Worship I think feels like giving our hearts to God in a relationship. It is important. We lift God up and He is in centrum when it is from our hearts to Him. It is also good to sing Scriptures and Jesus is also the Word.
With Jesus it is good to know that He is not just a friend who is with me in prayer in the morning or evening but who is with me in the day whom I can talk and listen to. It is good to take time with Him and to learn to know His voice with the inner voice and try to hear things He wants to say. It is easier to learn to know God when we read the Bible constantly. To learn to know Him is to learn to know a God of love and in this relationship He speaks to us in friendship.
Artwork by James Nesbit
In Song of Solomon we see that the bridegoom's heart was crushed for the bride by his love. In Song of Solomon 4:9, "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse. You have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace." We see here the deep love. This is how Jesus looks at us personally and His Bride - the Body of Christ. His heart is crushed for us. When He looks at us He also sees no spot in us because His blood cleanses us.
We read in Song of Solomon 4:7 "You are all fair my love. And there is no spot in you." We are accepted and loved. Jesus as our Friend has so much love for us and He wants to be a close friend. Sometimes thanksgiving is not considered so important but to thank God is not anything unimportant for Him. In Psalm 100:4 we also read "Enter into His courts with thanksgiving."
If we love Jesus we can imagine He gets glad when we thank Him. We have much to thank Him for. He who suffered so much because of His love for us is worthy our thanksgiving. He suffered much more for us than we can understand. If we have suffered much it is just like a drop of the suffering Jesus suffered for us at Calvary. He did it because He loved us.
If circumstances are difficult we can always have something to thank God for. We can thank Him for the fact that He suffered so much for us. We can simply thank Him for our being able to walk, or see, or eat, or other things. His grace is forever and He always loves us. We can thank Him for different things. Paul worshiped God when he was in prison. The Bible tells us to make sacrifices of praise. In Heb 13:15 it is written "Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruits of lips that openly profess His name."
When we begin to give thanks to God and when we worship God it is also a help. It is a help in trials. In worship we also can sing thanksgiving to God. When Jesus is our Friend we can talk with Him sitting in a sofa or maybe take a walk and when we are alone and eat we can talk with our Friend Jesus.
Jesus is the Word and the Word is then like our bread. Jesus is the Bread of life, as it says in John 6:35. The Word is also like water in a desert. We need this clean water. We need to spend time with it and with Jesus in prayer. He also wants to speak with the inner voice. It is important to know in a relationship with Jesus that we are so loved by Him.
We can tell Him that we love Him and thank Him for all His sufferings for us at Calvary.
Sometimes Christians can be so busy doing things for God but do not think it is so important to take time in a relation with God. If He is our Friend then it so natural that we also take time to talk to and listen to our best Friend. As we need time with friends we need time with Him. He is the most wonderful Friend we can have and it is good to learn to know Him more and more and His Kingdom.
In Isaiah 45 it is written about hidden treasures. We need MORE of God! To learn to know Him is like digging in a golden mine. Jesus is full of love and He is not boring. What a privilege to learn to know Him as a friend! To talk to Him face to face like Moses in 2 Exodus 33:11, "So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend." We can have a meeting with Jesus when we read about the woman at Jesus' feet. She was so crushed by His love. She cried and cried. She received Jesus and her sins were forgiven. Her heart was so touched by His love. She wanted to give Jesus a most precious present - precious perfume expressing her love to her Savior . She also gave her life in Jesus' hand.
I am thinking also about Song of Solomon who shows not a dry , intellectual relation to God. When we also think about a relationship as it can be between bride and bridegoom, but also between Jesus the Bridegoom and his Bride the church, when the heart is touched by God's love and it is a relation with the best friend. In Song of Solomon is written about this relation. In verse 6:3 "I am my beloved`s and my beloved is mine." It is talking about a relation where the heart is touched. It is not a relation when you come to Jesus just when you ask for things.
Artwork by James Nesbit
We find that the bride is expressing love to the bridegoom. In Song of Solomon 5:10, "My beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand." She is in love. We can think about the relation to Jesus that we can be in love with Him - the first love from the Bride to the Bridegoom - Jesus our Savior.
In the book of Ruth we see how Boaz was kind to Ruth and treated her with respect and care when she came as a stranger to a new place looking for a job and watched so she was not badly treated. He also helped her so she got food in Ruth 2:14. When I read this story I think about the heart Jesus has for us. He treats us with love and cares about us. When we read that Boaz cared we can think about how Jesus cares about us in a relation. He showed us the deepest love giving everything for us at Calvary. He loves all people and wants all to receive Him.
In Rev. 3:20 we read "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." He wants to become a Friend to people who do not know Him and that all will receive Him. When I read that He wants to come into all and dine with them, I am also thinking about a relationship where we eat with someone to have fellowship with them.
Yeshua/Jesus is a wonderful Friend who gave His life for us.