Cultivating Friendship with God
September 9, 2026
This past Sunday we saw from Genesis 18:1-15 how the righteous enjoy friendship with God. We saw the relationship between God and Abraham, who “was called a friend of God” (James 2:23), and we also considered Moses, to whom God would speak “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11).
And one of the application points was for us—those who were once enemies but have been made friends of God through Christ!—to be cultivating friendship with God.
So how do we cultivate friendship with God?
This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but here are four key ways that we see in the examples of Abraham and Moses and throughout Scripture:
We place ourselves where God speaks. Friends talk to each other, and God speaks clearly and decisively to us in His Word. So be in God's Word! Every day. There you will see Him, hear Him, and experience Him. There you will grow in friendship with Him. God also speaks to us in church, in the corporate gathering where Jesus promises to be with us in a special way! So gather every Sunday with the saints, where you will encounter the Living God.
We humble ourselves in God’s presence. David writes, “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him” (Ps. 25:14). To fear God is to stand in awe of Him then bow before His majesty. It's to revere His holy name, worship and adore Him, and submit to His will and ways. It requires us to humble ourselves in His presence, acknowledging His rightful place as King and Creator and ours as subjects and creatures. It requires us to regularly repent of our sin before Him.
We disclose to Him the contents of our heart in prayer. Again, friends talk to each other. There's dialogue. It's not just one way. And the more we expose the true state of our hearts, the deeper a friendship goes. We just spent two months in the Psalms considering ways that the psalmists of old disclosed their hearts to the Lord in prayer. So we have a treasure trove of biblical examples showing us how to do this. Talk to God openly and honestly about what's going on in your heart and life. Every day. All throughout the day.
We recognize that cultivating friendship takes time and intentionality. This is hard for us because in our modern age we want everything to come easy and come fast. But our closest friendships are forged over time and through repeated experiences. If you want to grow closer in friendship with Jesus…keep investing! Keep seeking! “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’” (Ps. 27:8).’” (Ps. 27:8)
But there’s a more fundamental question to answer…
Why should we cultivate friendship with God?
I’m sure we can come up with many more reasons, but here are three key ones:
We were made to know Him, love Him and be in relationship with Him! We saw this at the beginning of the year from Genesis 1-2. Humanity was made for fellowship with the Creator God, who chose to come down and dwell in the garden sanctuary of Eden. And through Christ, this core purpose of our existence is restored! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5). You should cultivate friendship with God because it’s the reason you were made.
He’s the only Source of true contentment and delight! Close friends are a blessing from the Lord, but no friend, no matter how close, can bring lasting satisfaction to our souls, nor can any other earthly thing. “[I]n your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). You should cultivate friendship with God for the delight of your soul.
Only in friendship with God do we become more like Jesus, which is God’s plan for us! God predestined the saints “to be conformed to the image of his son” (Rom. 8:29). And when Jesus returns, “we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). But there is power today to become increasingly like Christ. To access that power, we need to be connected to the Source; we need to abide in Him and in His love and in His Word. You should cultivate friendship with God to become more like your Savior.
Jesus says to His disciples, “No longer do I call you servants…but I have called you friends” (John 15:15). What a glorious reality! May we grow closer and closer in our friendship with Him!
What one or two things will you change today towards that great end?
In Christ,
Pastor Mike