27 April | Youth
«I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.» John 15:15
The book Steps to Christ has a beautiful chapter called “The Privilege of Prayer.” You may already know his most famous phrase: “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend” (p. 93). This phrase defines well what prayer is. Friends like to talk. How long must we stay by Jesus’ side before we can call Him a friend? How to have a deep and intimate relationship with God?
I know you must have a best friend. Everyone has. But the privilege of the Christian is that Jesus chose you to be His friend. “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). Can you imagine anything better than that? We were promoted from servants to friends of Jesus! He tells us “all things.” True friends do not have secrets from each other.
I have good friends, but my best friend is called Walter. We sincerely trust each other. Our families know each other and know that we can count on each other. We live in different and distant cities, but when we are together, the conversation flows easily. We understand each other, and we complete each other's thoughts. We do not worry about formulas or appearances. We just want to talk.
That is what prayer is, a dialogue. When we read the Bible for stories about prayer, what we see are God's saints talking to Him. Sometimes, they opened negotiations with God. Think of Abraham, welcoming the Lord that morning at an oak tree. Remember Moses at the burning bush; Gideon testing the Lord with a cotton ball. In the Bible, prayer is a simple conversation with God. Clement of Alexandria, one of the church fathers, said that “prayer is happy company with God.”
So, spend some time today reflecting on your friendship with Jesus. Do you feel like this friendship is growing or is it still a superficial relationship? Make prayer your daily conversation with Jesus. Be friends with Him, and your life will gain new meaning.