Kids, as a believer, you probably sense the favor and position you receive as a member of God’s intimate Family. As a member of God’s family you have become a friend. You have likely felt a need to spend time just hanging out with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but it is not always easy to figure out how to do that. The Scripture tells us that we have a special position and sense of belonging with Them. How can we have the same sense of insider, family security that the Israelites enjoyed when God gave them the Promised just because Abraham was God’s friend? The God Family has taken something of value from those outside the Kingdom and given it to you. This transfer did not happen because of something you did, but because He chose you and called you to be His son or daughter, and thereby a member of the Kingdom Family. (John 1:12, Romans 8:14)
Family members and friends have something in common—they want to spend time together. My favorite time of year is Thanksgiving as I mentioned on November 24th. This holiday is when all nine of my children try to gather at our home to celebrate what we have in common, and give thanks. We are not encumbered with gift giving or all the trappings that go along with it. We just want to be with one another to reminisce about the past, share our lives in the present, and encourage each other for the future. And, eat way too much! During these times, we confide in each other by sharing our secrets. We divulge what we cannot share any place else. As we talk, laugh, and cry with each other, we strengthen not only our earthly friendships, but our eternal bonds.
When you are a member of The God Family, you have access to a perpetual Thanksgiving Day. You may celebrate your Family membership by confiding in or laughing and crying with another Family member who also shares the uninterrupted hope of Kingdom life. Your hope should never diminish. It should exist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. You do not have some unknown, ethereal being helping you; you have the team of the Trinity who understands you from multiple Family perspectives!
You see, you are a planned child. After the planning, a script was written to ensure that you obtained your Family privilege. As a Family member, you were birthed with the right to divine confidence, an attitude of hope, and the security to help you persevere under all circumstances. This concept dates to the earliest writing in Scripture (Job)—even before the Bible existed. Job communicated your protected state and how multiple members of The God Family work together on your behalf when he said, “Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man He pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.” (Job 16:19 – 21)
Let us pull these verses apart and examine The God Family at work for you.
- “Witness” is `ed (m) or `edah (f) indicating someone with a high level of authority like a prince, commander, or a legislator of rules or laws.
- “Heaven” is the Hebrew word Shamayim. Its meaning is plural, indicating “the skies where the stars and God abide.”
- The word for “God” (the Most High) used in these verses is ‘Eloahh, the singular form of ‘Elohim, which we have described previously.
- “Intercessor” is yakach. It means “one who reasons, pleads, and/or argues until there is truth.”
- ‘Adam means “man, mankind.”
- The word used for “friend” is Ben. It means a son, grandson, child, or member of a very intimate group.
So, to paraphrase these verses in the context of this discussion:
Right now, I have the Prince of all lawmakers in heaven representing me. My Friend (The Son) presents a positive image of me to the Chief Justice (The Father) of The Supreme Court—especially when I shed tears of repentance after I have been sidetracked by the distractions and deceptions of the world. He is doing this for me in the same way that a close friend or mentor (The Spirit) would appeal, defend, or vouch for those he loves, like his children, relatives, or closest friends.
I love the way the word “friend” is used in Job 16:20 to illustrate the type of relationship believers are promised to have with their Family, the Trinity.
Love Dad