Nov 13 – To His Friend!

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” (Genesis 18:17).

Abraham was called “the friend of God” (James 2:23). Therefore, the Lord appeared to Abraham on ten occasions. Many times, He graciously took the initiative to seek Abraham out and speak with him as a friend. He also spoke to him through dreams.

The Lord desires friends. His eyes search for those who will bear His burdens and join Him in prayer. When the Lord spoke to Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham immediately fell on his knees and earnestly interceded, pleading that the righteous should not be destroyed.

Abraham was the first person in the Bible to offer such earnest intercessory prayer. As Abraham continued to pray, the Lord answered him each time. He replied, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes” (Genesis 18:26).

Abraham then asked whether the Lord would spare the city if forty-five righteous people were found there. The Lord replied that He would not destroy it. When Abraham asked again about forty, the Lord said that He would spare the city for the sake of forty righteous people (Genesis 18:29). As Abraham continued to ask about thirty, twenty, and finally ten, the Lord patiently answered each time.

During the days of Jesus Christ, His disciples were His friends. Jesus lovingly told them, “I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

The Lord has chosen you to be His friend. He has also chosen you to be His servant and His prophet. The Bible says, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

I have been greatly amazed as I read about the life of the godly man Kenneth E. Hagin. From his youth, he sincerely surrendered himself to the Lord’s leading and became a friend of God. Whenever the Lord prompted him to pray for someone, he would take that burden upon himself and intercede. The Lord would repeatedly lay prayer burdens upon him. He would wait in God’s presence, praying continually in other tongues. He would then interpret those tongues himself and come to understand God’s will. In this way, he was led by the Holy Spirit.

Children of God, surrender yourselves today to become friends of the Lord.

Verse for further meditation: “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:20).