When we refer to God as FATHER, many of us think first of his high expectations for us. Perhaps the image of God we've had since childhood is one that stresses how much he has done for us and how little we have done for him. We've been trained that falling short of expectations makes Daddy very disappointed.
When our primary vision of our relationship with God is about constantly striving to appease a father who can never be satisfied, no matter how good we may be, our efforts at righteous living can become little more than codependent striving. A recent session where Denise and I were counseling an outwardly highly successful person reminded me that even in adulthood, too many of us continue to be more afraid of God than in love with him.
The Bible does tell us to fear God, but not because of his high expectations. Interestingly, it tells us to fear his love. King David explained: "The friendship of the LORD if for those who fear him" (Psalm 25:14). This is no ordinary friend we have! He will not tell us only those things we want to hear. This friend will take us places we never saw ourselves going; he will give us passion for things that we weren't formerly passionate about. This friend will certainly be hard to control.
A few short hours before Jesus was arrested and crucified, he told his disciples, "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father" (John 15:15). I wonder what went through their minds. Were they surprised? Honored? Confused? They were certainly not his peers, and neither are we, so it does mystify us that Jesus would identify us as his friends.
Servants simply do their jobs. Maybe it would be easier, clearer and much less demanding to remain servants! Friendship is frequently confusing and mysterious; it requires a great deal of trust, and it is all too easy to get burned along the way. I think the greatest challenge in friendship is learning how to give and receive in relation to someone else. In friendship we learn to serve each other.
The Creator of heaven and earth demonstrated his great love for us in the passion of Christ on the cross. When we believe that this Friend was dying to love us, then we can begin to believe there is something worth loving in ourselves. Once we trust our lives to this Sacred Friendship, we can begin to set free our other friends and family members from trying to provide the wellspring of genuine love only a Savior can offer. Human hearts are simply not deep enough.
Having freed our loved ones from the burden of loving us as only a Savior can, we will begin to delight in them as God's beautiful blessings in our lives!
What a health-giving privilege to know the Friendship of the LORD!
With love and friendship,
Duff Gorle
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