I recently shared my new prayer mantra: “I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but I know Who.” Not only is this practice calming my anxious heart, but it’s improved my relationship with Jesus immensely. Finally, I feel relaxed enough to quit advising Him how to change me, fix my messes, and run the world. Now I can enjoy His friendship.
The first verse of Psalm 23 in The Passion Translation has caught my attention, “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd…”. I think that is beautiful and true because when we stop and think about it, Jesus has all the traits we look for in a best friend. He knows everything about us and still thinks we’re great. He never gossips about us, always believes the best in us, plus He’s easy-going and easy to please. Best of all, He always has our back. Everything we could ever want in a friend. But lately, I’ve been wondering how good of a friend I’ve been to Him.
Have you ever had a bad friendship? I sure have. I once had a friendship so difficult it broke me of people-pleasing. I was a raging co-dependent back then and thought it was my job to keep everyone propped up and happy. I tried to people-please her into a happier state, but it didn’t work. The harder I tried to please her, the more strained the relationship became, and she began resenting me for the things I couldn’t do. It ruined our friendship.
That’s not the kind of friendship I want with Jesus. I don’t want to be more about what He can do for me than who He is. If I’m always looking for Him to fix me and prop me up or change my circumstances, I may resent Him when things aren’t going the way I think they should be. I want to grow up and learn to be patient in affliction. Trusting that I don’t need to know how or when things will change because I know my Bestie has my back. I want Him to be able to ask me for favors instead of me constantly asking Him.
I want to be a good friend to Jesus; the kind of friend David was to God. I see an affectionate, raw, and honest friendship when I read Psalms. I see David having solid trust in God. Even in affliction, he never bad-mouthed his Heavenly Bestie. His fellowship with God gave him the confidence to slay giants and rule a kingdom. Perhaps that is why God called David “a man after my own heart.”
I don’t know about you, but I would love to be that kind of friend to Jesus. This may get us off to the right start: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. 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 15:12-15
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