John 15:15 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. (NIV)
As a child in church, I loved the song What a Friend We Have in Jesus! The idea that there was someone who would bear our sins and griefs and who would share our sorrows and listen to our problems and pain seemed so wonderful to me. What I thought was so good was that with Jesus, you didn’t have to worry about your secrets being revealed, as you did with people whom you thought were your friends.
Over a three-year period, Jesus had spent many hours teaching the twelve disciples. Now, as He prepared to leave them to return to His Father in heaven, he reminded them to love each other as He had loved them. Then, He tells them that they have become His friends, no longer just servants. Servants and friends hold very different positions because servants are not made privy to one’s business.
It is the same with those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord. When we learn all that our Father requires of us and do that which is expected of us, we cease to be just servants, and we become friends with Jesus. I read somewhere that a true friend remembers you in their prayers. In John 17:20, Jesus declared, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” He prayed not just for his friends the disciples but also for those of us who would become His friends by living according to God’s word.
He is a friend like no other, for he knows us better than anyone else ever could. And yet, despite our faults, He loves us. When we pray, He hears, and what we say to Him isn’t repeated. It’s true that just a talk with Jesus, our dear friend, will make everything alright! He isn’t a Facebook “friend.” He is a true friend, in every sense of the word. Friendships are cultivated over a length of time; they don’t happen overnight.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being a friend like no other. You have been a rock, a redeemer, a deliverer, and a Savior. Thank you for Your unfailing love and support through the years, for hearing my cries and soothing my deepest pains and suffering. You are truly a friend in every sense of the word. Sometimes all I can say is Your name, Jesus, and it is enough! In Your Name, I pray top the Father in Heaven. Amen.
Help from Heaven 
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