God as friend
Sherman & I are conducting an open correspondence on the topic of "friendship". This is my response to his latest letter.
Dear Sherman,
I think I have forgotten what we were talking about, it's been so long since we last wrote to each other. You've been busy jet-setting around South-East Asia, and I've been... uh... I've been... I've been... well, I've been doing stuff, of course!!
I noticed that in your sermon yesterday in Bangsar Lutheran Church, you kept referring to us as "friends of God" rather than as "Christians". Are you redefining what it means to be a Christian?
Anyway, lemme tell you, trying to think of God as a friend really messes up my head. Already I had enough trouble trying to relate to Him as my Father, but now, juggling between Father, Friend, and God, the mental acrobatics required are draining my brain cells.
It is easy to imagine a scenario with a friend and think, "A true friend would act this way." Then I juxtapose God into that picture and it doesn't quite seem to fit anymore, because, well... God is God, and there are so many other things to be considered when it comes to Him.
Like, you know, a true friend would help you when you are in a spot of trouble, if he could; but where God is concerned, this becomes problematic, coz maybe He wants to mould your character through this? Maybe you are supposed to slog your way out of this as a consequence of the wrong decision you made, which got you into this trouble in the first place, so that you can learn your lesson the hard way? Maybe the circumstances are meant to teach you something you wouldn't learn if you didn't go through this hardship?
And so you see, I feel I can't rely on God to act as I think a friend would. It is not that I think He can't, it's that I think He might not want to, for reasons of His own that (of course) I am never privy to.
The same thing applies to asking for stuff. In the Bible we are told that if we have faith, and believe that we will receive something when we ask for it, it will be ours -- as long as we're asking with the right motive. And Scripture does also say that God will give us "good gifts" when we ask, instead of cheating us by giving us, say, a stone when we ask for a loaf of bread. But I'm always aware that there are so many reasons why God may choose to say no, and indeed often does say no, that I don't see how I can honestly believe that I will receive whatever it is I ask for. It really is not as simple as going up to God and saying, "Hey dude, can I borrow your car for an hour? I've gotta run over to the supermarket and get some groceries."
God as our friend... what does it mean?
Confused & befuddled,
Sunflower