Love + Friendship

One of my favorite things I know about God is that He is love. It says it right in John 4:8. But I
know the love of God because He has shown me His love over and over. He showed me His love
when He continuously pursued me when I was choosing to live in this world. He showed me His
love when He placed great mentors in my life to love and guide me. He is continuing to show
me His love by comforting me when I’m sick and giving me rest when I am tired. This morning,
He showed me His love by revealing to me where He was at in my childhood: stepping in as
Father when I was abandoned by my own, giving me another earthly father, moving our family
next to a church where I gave my life to Him, and surrounding me with angel armies
everywhere I went.

It was not until this year that I went from knowing about God to knowing God. My head
knowledge of God transferred to heart revelation. Before this year, I never gave God the space
or time to reveal himself to me. Our relationship was very one-sided: I prayed but never
listened, read the Bible but never asked Him about it, and worshipped by singing but never by
dwelling and listening to God.

The definition of a relationship is “the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people
are connected.” God created us to live life with Him – connected to Him. His desire for
connection can be seen through the lens of the trinity: God walked with Adam and Eve in the
garden, then sent His Son to walk with us on earth, then sent His Holy Spirit to live within each
of us. God actually asks us to live life as His friend and friends have a two-way relationship.
John 15:15 says, “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.”

Friendships are built as both individuals take time to listen to each other, invite each other into
the deepest parts of their lives, and have fun with each other. Are you asking God questions
and then pausing to give Him time to answer? Expect an answer. God created us with the
unique ability to hear Him. The still small voice of God gets louder as we choose to listen to it.

Author | Makinizi Hoover