Session 30

You’ve got a friend in me

From Exodus: A 34-Day Devotional

The story of Exodus is at best a turbulent one for the Israelites. God’s people seem unable to escape the roller coaster of their own making as they turn from God time and time again. In the midst of all this, Moses approaches God. And in spite of Moses’ leadership struggles and inability to keep the Israelites on track, God calls Moses a friend.

In the Bible, both God and Jesus are referred to as friends of sinners. Understanding friendship with God is hard because there’s nothing and no one like Him. And, as our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the notion of friendship is changing. We refer to everyone from our closest confidants to vague online acquaintances as friends.

In God and Jesus, we see what makes a good friend — patience, loyalty, kindness. As sinners, we fall short of these characteristics every day. But God offers us perfect friendship. Throughout the Bible, God remains faithful through every circumstance.

God’s perfect friendship gives us a beautiful example of how much He loves us. In John 15:15, Jesus explains the kind of friendship Christians experience with God: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Reflect:

• What’s one way you talk to God that would change if you began to see Him as your friend?
• What’s one way you can be more like Jesus in your friendships?