Friends with God

God spoke to Moses as he would to a friend.

That's what the Bible says in Exodus 33:11.  So, what kind of relationship did Moses have with God?  And, can I have that relationship, too?

It certainly wasn't a surface relationship.  God knew Moses intimately - all his weaknesses as well as his strengths.  He could be tough on Moses.

It was a friendship built on trust.  Moses never gave up on God despite defeats and disappointments in his life leading the Israelites.  And God never gave up on Moses.

It survived major tests.  At one point, God threatened to exterminate Moses' people because they had turned away from him even though he had given them so much.  But Moses intervened on behalf of the people.  I believe God wanted to hear that from Moses - it showed him Moses' heart.

What God saw in Moses was a man who wanted to know the Lord more than anything else.  He was brave enough to ask to see God even though it was a life-threatening request.  I believe God loved that request.  He granted Moses' wish in part, showing part of himself but not his face because Moses would have died from the power of his countenance.

The relationship grew and developed through conversation - through prayer.  Moses spent many hours before God in the Tent of Meeting.

It was a partnership where one partner was all-powerful and the other was a loyal follower.  God spoke to Moses and Moses obeyed.  God exercised his supernatural power through his friend Moses.

It was a friendship where both benefitted.  God's plan for mankind unfolded as Moses listened and acted.  And Moses came to know God intimately, so intimately he didn't want anything else in the world.

Can I have that?  Yes.  Many believers over the years have had a relationship with God like Moses' - although they are not as well known.

Moses' friendship with God began in the desert at a burning bush.  He was afraid and he didn't want to do what God asked him to do.  But he did.

Time spent with God in prayer, obedience,  trust, and a growing thirst for more of God - these were hallmarks of Moses' life.

They can mark the life of any believer.  We can speak to God like a friend, too.