I CAN COUNT on one hand my most intimate friends, those with whom I would share anything…

I can hardly think of a boundary on our conversations. We reached that plane of relationship after long hours together and considerable risk. If a doctor informs me tomorrow that I have a terminal disease, they will be my first calls.

Most of my intimate friends live in other cities, and as a result I may see them only once a year. When we meet, though, we skip the chitchat and go right to the heart of what concerns us most. I don’t worry about being judged or second-guessed or made the subject of gossip. With true friends, I feel safe.

Friendship with God encompasses each of these levels of communication. God cares about the ordinary and everyday as well as the peak experiences. I bring to God my failures and sins (confession, repentance) as well as my triumphs and joys (praise, thanksgiving). I bring to god my worries and concerns (petition, intercession). The very attempt to hide something from God is folly, for God know all of who I am: the genetics as well as the environment, the thoughts and motives as well as the actions. (Philip Yancey)

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God” (James 2:23).

Mike Benson