Questions on Friendship continued...

In my last post I had just finished confessing to you about being a bad friend to someone who had been nothing, but good to me. Please take a second and read it so you understand where I am headed in this continuation. As my husband would say, "Here comes the Jesus juke."

John 15:15
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.

He calls me His friend. The Lord of Lords. The King of Kings! The Creator of the Universe…calls me His friend. He has shown me nothing but love. He is patient. He doesn’t scream at me. He never ever hangs up on me, but I have done all three to Him and so much more.

I have had times where all I did when I prayed and spoke to Him was treat Him like a vending machine. I would show up with my “God you need to do this” list, leaving no time for His reply. I did not give a thought to His concerns and His heart. I did not have time for His calls, His cares, and even sometimes when He would start to get a word in edge wise I would interrupt Him. I would disagree with Him. I even have had moments where I blamed Him for my own bad choices and the consequences that I ended up with. I have been angry and yelled at Him. Ugh I am pretty much disgusted with myself.

My friends, I know how I would treat a friend like that. I would be done with them. I would not even feel guilty about never speaking to someone again who treated our friendship so poorly. Yet God, He loves me anyways. He goes to great lengths to get my attention. He never gives up. His love never runs out, and when I finally come around again to have a two way conversation. When I finally come to hear from Him, about His thoughts, His heart, and His plans, He does not treat me with resentment. He does not treat me as I deserve to be treated. Ugh… (Read Psalm 103:8-12)

It’s humbling. It’s really, really humbling, but when I have finally knelt at His feet and asked Him for forgiveness, for acting so rotten, for treating Him like a magical, all powerful, vending machine genie. He looks down with love and He immediately offers his soothing balm of forgiveness.

Have you been there? Have you ever treated God like this? Are you doing it right now?

There is this simple verse, but it’s not so simple to do.

Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God.”

It’s even better when we see it a little more in context with some of its surrounding verses.

Psalm 46:9-11

“He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

He burns the shields with fire.

He says, “Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted in the earth.”

This is important friends. It’s so important for us to be still and know Him, that God stops wars over it. The end result is that we are to exalt Him and when we take time to exalt Him we remember how big He is. How powerful He is. How He can handle everything that comes our way. He is Faithful!

So please, take a moment and be still. If your thoughts keep racing away with your to do list of errands and grocery shopping, studying and papers to write, people to call, and things to fix, then I highly suggest putting on some praise music. Turn off your cell phone, and computer. (Yes, it’s possible to do this!) Find some time to hear God out. Have a 2 way conversation but most importantly leave room for Him to speak. In fact, leave more time for Him to speak then you. Take time to just honor God for who He is. Praise Him for His character traits. God you are faithful, loving, forgiving, full of justice, merciful and so on. List His many names. (Lord you are the Alpha and Omega. My Provider, Healer, Savior, Counselor, King of Kings, Lamb of God, and so on.) Thank Him for what He has done and will do in your life. Ask Him for forgiveness for how you have been treating Him. Then just listen. Be still and listen… You won’t regret it.