Becoming Friends

Just in the past few days, God's been revealing to me how He wants to be known as a friend.

I've heard the phrase "Seek God's face, not His hands" before, and found it compelling. I was moved to ask God for less stuff and spend time thanking Him for what I have and praising Him for who He is and what He has done. But, I read the devotional for today on Joyce Meyer's website and was struck by this:

It takes most of us a long time before we finally learn that what we need is not what God can give us, but God Himself.

I'm reading one of Joyce's books about prayer, and the same point is emphasized: we need God - communion with Him, relationship with Him, knowledge of Him and being known by Him. And I was talking with a friend today who brought up the same thing - what brings us true joy is God Himself, not what He does. She pointed out that tons of people in the Old Testament were filled with joy just from God...before Jesus even died for them. Jesus' death grants us freedom to commune with God and it glorifies God - but still, it's all about God.

And so, there is something about the very nature of God that I'm meant to know and discover. God's teaching me how to be with Him in prayer - to just talk to Him and listen to Him as my friend. I'm a listener and a thinker... I love processing and introspection(hello, blog)and I love to listen to my friends. Bringing God into my processing and taking the time to listen to God I think fosters authentic friendship with Him. And God revealed to me that listening to Him means being in His word (Romans 10:17) and hearing Him speak through others.

I think friendship with God is supposed to be effortless - not burdensome or scary or complicated. I have a few amazing best friends that are easy to be around and talk to - and God desires that same relationship with me, only deeper and more secure. Wow...