Are You God's BFF?

One of my favorite worship songs is, “I am a Friend of God” by Israel Houghton.   Recently, as we were singing it in a service, I thought of God being my BFF.  I’m not one to frequently text, so I don’t generally think in text abbreviations.  But then, almost everyone knows what a BFF is. As I continued to sing, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper, “You’re my BFF too!”  At first this was a bit confusing.  How could that be true?  God loves us equally.  How can every person in the world have the opportunity to simultaneously be God’s best friend?  That’s when I began to think of the true meaning the term, BFF.

Best Friend Forever!   That’s a pretty significant term, when you really think about it.  I know that young girls often change their BFF every other week.  And in our society, words do not always carry the weight of their true meaning.  But if we consider this term, one word at a time, we’ll see that only God can truly fulfill the literal meaning of a BFF.

Best:  (adjective 1. of the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality.) When people talk of a best friend, it often carries the sense of “first in line.”  There is a best friend, a second best friend and so on.   According to the Bible, God is impartial and “no respecter of persons”. (Acts 10:34)  Thinking of best as a hierarchy is what caused my confusion.    How can I, or anyone, be God’s best friend?  That is when I realized that best is a quality, not a place in line.  Best refers to the type of friendship.  This friendship is deep, unconditional and will stand through any circumstances.    We do not have to worry about our place in the standings.  There is no fear of getting knocked out of first place by anyone or anything.  We simply receive the friendship that comes from God. He only gives the highest quality…the best!

Friend:  (noun 1.  a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection)  God has committed to us so much more than this dictionary definition.  His friendship is the, “friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  (Proverbs 18:24b)  Am I committed to that same level of friendship with him?  Do I want to know his heart each day?  Do I want to see things and people as he sees them?  I must ask myself these questions.  I can say I love God.  But, if I don’t seek this friendship with him, do I really?  True friendship takes time and effort. True friendship contains the love described in 1Corinthians 13, especially the part of “always believing the best.” (1Corinthians 13:7)  Do I always believe God has my best interest in mind?  Am I a best friend?

Forever: (adverb 1. for all future time; for always.)  This is an amazing word that we often throw around lightly.  Forever goes beyond this week, this year and even this lifetime.  Forever goes beyond death and into an eternity in heaven.  God knows what forever looks like, but I sure don’t.  I have thoughts and imaginations about what it may be like.  But in reality, I cannot comprehend what forever looks like.  In this temporal world, unending is merely a math concept.  And the best in a fallen world will pale next to God’s uninterrupted presence.  Whatever eternity looks like, feels like and actually is like: it will be wonderful beyond imagination.

So now that we’ve defined BFF, let’s consider what being a BFF with God looks like.   

BFFs text or talk to each other constantly.  We are to “pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 3:10) Prayer is two way conversation, talking and listening. God likes to talk, too.  From those first days in Genesis, God has been speaking to man.  The Bible is God’s word.  Jesus is the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14) Talking to us is pretty important to God.  He desires to speak.  Two way conversations should be natural for a BFF with God.  Also,+ we’re promised that God “will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)   We do not have to worry about a vibrating phone waking him up.

BFFs share secrets with each other.  God wants to hear my dreams, my fears, my hopes and every cry of my heart. Nothing is too small or too silly to share with him. He also wants to share his heart, his dreams and plans with me.  The Bible is an expression of God’s heart.  He desires someone to not only listen, but be willing to work with him to make his dreams a reality in this world.

Modern technology allows us to video chat.  We can see not only God’s face, but also his heart, as we look deeply into his word.  And when we feel alone, all we have to do is remember a line from an old hymn, “His eye is on the sparrow and he watches over me” (based on Matthew 6:26)

There’s so much I could say about BFFs wanting to spend all of their time together.  But I’ll simply acknowledge that God’s presence is precious and something definitely not to be missed.

So where do we go from here.  Realize and acknowledge that you are God’s BFF.  Like anything you consider truly important, give the time and effort to develop your friendship with God.  Tell him your dreams and listen to his.  Trust him.  He will never let you down.

I am a friend of God…He calls me friend!