Does God Really Want To Be Your Friend?

If so, why doesn't he answer my prayers?

Are You Disappointed With God?

In the previous post we explored the amazing potential that we have of being Friends with God. But, are you friends with God? Or are you disappointed with God?

Perhaps you have prayed to God and not received an answer? Perhaps you have seen many people who claim to be following God, either as Christians or Jews, or other religions, and have been lied to by them, or deceived in some other way?

Perhaps you have believed in God, done what he wants you to do, and you are sick and he has not healed you.

Or perhaps you are poor and he has not given you food or shelter? Perhaps you are lonely and have gone to churches, only to find that people ignore you or are not friendly?

Perhaps you have been in a church, or other religious organisation, but found their leadership to be full of corruption and greed? And worse, you found complacency, apathy and lack of faith from the members, who were unwilling to correct their leaders?

Perhaps you have found that people who teach the words of the Bible don’t live them, nor will they tolerate any questions or correction from you?  

Or do you look at the large church buildings with their golden candles and stained-glass windows, and wonder why people think this glorifies God, when the homeless people sleeping on the porches of these buildings are an indictment on their teachings?

Why then, if God is the all-powerful creator, is he apparently silent regarding such suffering, hypocrisy and lack of love, mercy and justice, particularly when done by people “in his name”?

Why would you want to be a friend of such a God? How is it possible to communicate with God, so that we get an answer to these concerns? Does God even exist?

The Bible tells us that God is not silent to such suffering, and he is also very disappointed with all the hypocrisy and lack of mercy done in his name. And God tells us very plainly that he expects those who profess to love him to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed ones go free. (Isa 58:6)

He expects those who purport to follow him to give their bread to the hungry, and that you should bring home the wandering poor. And when you see the poor who are naked to clothe him. When those who believe in God do this then shall their light break out as the dawn, and their health shall spring out quickly… Then they shall call, and the Lord shall answer, they shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am. (Isa 58:7-9)

God has put the responsibility for doing good to those in need, onto those who profess to know him, and love him, and love his way of life.

If we love God, then we need to read God’s word in order to listen to the expectations of God, so we may let our light so shine before men that they (other people) may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. (Matt 5:16)

It is only when those who love God actually do good to other people that they shall call, and the Lord shall answer: then it is that God will directly intervene in human affairs.

Proving God Exists

However, can we prove God exists, and that what he says in his word is true?

Before we believe in God, and, with his help, start to confront the above important concerns, we need to prove that he exists. I think there are three interconnected and overlapping elements in proving God exists. One is to get an idea of how big God is, so you know what you are looking for.

Another is to read the Bible to learn why God said he made you, and why he made all humanity, and the Earth and all living creatures and the heaven with its billions of stars.

And the essential third point, which is most probably best to do first, is to ask him to show you how to comprehend the Bible, so you can understand why God made you.

Yet, even then, God may not give you understanding of his existence. Why not? Because God tells us that he has determined to call some people during this life, and all other people later, after they have died and been resurrected into a second life. (Matt 7:13-14, Luke 13:24, John 12:39-43, Acts 24:15, 1Cor 1:24-27, Rev 20:5-6)

So, in fact, you can’t prove God exists- only God can prove to you that he exists- by opening your mind to his wisdom and way of life. (1Cor 2:6-16)

Even so, God does tell us in scripture, that if we seek him with our whole heart, and cry out to him, then he may be merciful and generous, such that he will give us understanding about him and his way of life. (Prov 2:1-5, James 4:6-7)

You can therefore initiate a relationship with God, and he may decide to respond to you, because he tells us that I love those who love me; and those who seek me early shall find me. (Prov 8:17)

However, be warned, for if God determines to call you to understand his way of life, then he also tells us that living his way of life requires that you must be willing to die for him! (1John 3:16, John 15:12-17) And yet, even more difficult than dying for him, is to live for him in a world of people who don’t believe in him. (John 5:14-16, Phil 2:15) And, ironically, many of those who don’t believe in him are in churches, both teaching his word, and listening to those who teach it! (Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8)

And, it may seem a very strange thing, but God allows such people to be in his churches, in order to test the true people, to see if they love God, and are willing to confront the hypocrites, and to also suffer and die for the truth. (Deut 13:1-3, Matt 13:9, Luke 21:12, John 16:2)

Once you start on the path of seeking God, and trying to prove if he exists, then you have decided to take life seriously. For there is one thing about life that we all know: life will end and we will die. While some young people act as if they won’t die, they soon realize the limits of their existence when one of their friends or family dies.

Death is the only certainty in life. Yet, God promises you eternal life, which, when we start to take life seriously, we will understand is something worth trying to know how to find.

If you want eternal life, then you first need to understand who God is, and what his plan for his creation is, for he is the only one who can give you eternal life. The first step, as stated above, is to take some time to think about how big God is, which we will explore in the next post.