“You are friends with God”

Thank you for joining me on this last day of “random thoughts with Grant” on A Miracle Every Day.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of having lunch with an old friend. My friend's name is Sam Middlebrook. Sam is a big guy from Texas who has a big heart and an even bigger laugh. We have been both friends and spiritual brothers for many, many years, as we both served in the same church for a significant period of time.

Sam has walked me through some of the toughest faith moments of my life when I had deep questions and few answers. I had the privilege of walking with Sam through some of the most difficult moments of his life, which included his son being extremely sick, and in a hospital in Seattle, as well as the time when Sam got so sick from COVID that we thought we were going to lose him.

Our friendship has been forged in difficult times, with much laughter and sitting over plates of food more times than I can count. Sam lives on the other side of the state now, and the truth is, I miss him every single day. He's been a gift of truth-telling in my life, and whenever we get together, I know that my heart is going to be encouraged.

I am grateful for such a great friend. In fact, I've been sitting here thinking to myself about how grateful I am for ALL of the friends that God has placed in my life. The list is long, and I am grateful for each and every one of them.

The Bible places a huge weight on friendship. Consider these verses:

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:12-13, NIV)

"Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty." (Job 6:14, NIV)

"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24, NIV)

"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice." (Proverbs 27:9, NIV)

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." (Proverbs 17:17, NIV)

My friend, I want to remind you that, because Jesus made you a promise that He would never leave you or forsake you, you always have a friend… And He loves you more than words could ever express!

I want to say it again—simply because of that promise, your friendship with God means that you are never, ever alone.

Celebrate that today, thank God for His friendship. And over the next number of days, if you are blessed to sit with a friend, talk and be transparent about whatever trials you're facing, tell them how grateful you are that God places them in your life!

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.”

My prayer is that you would BE the very kind of friend you NEED, today!

Never forget, my friend, you are a miracle!