“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit
O what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer
What is a friend? The answer to this question in Google is: “A friend is your buddy, your pal, your amigo, your comrade. You know, someone you trust and like enough to hang out with regularly.”
In the world of social media, it seems that a lot of people strive to build up a network of so-called friends. Often, they are people they have never met, do not know anything about, and have nothing in common with except being on the same site with them. Are they friends or even acquaintances? According to the above description of a friend, they do not qualify.
In John 15, Jesus called His disciples “friends.” They had been spending most of their time with Him, listening to His teaching, and learning to trust Him. Each day they spent with Him, deepened their love for Him. He shared with them His feelings and imparted a desire in their hearts to be like Him. He taught them about His Kingdom and the role that they would have in sharing it with the world.
Jesus wants the same relationship with His followers today. Although He is not with us in bodily form, His Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts. We draw close to Him as we spend time each day reading the Word and talking to Him in prayer. The more time we spend with Him, the closer Friend He becomes to us. We learn to trust Him with every aspect of our lives. We can bring all our cares, our worries, and our concerns to Him and know He understands and will give us the guidance and strength that we need.
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
Prayer: Jesus, you are indeed the best friend we have, one that is even closer than our family. What a privilege it is to claim you as our friend, and to be able to bring everything to you in prayer. Help us to spend time with you each day.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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