I Have Called You Friend
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Who doesn't yearn to know in their very marrow that God is their friend? Who doesn't want more peace? And who wouldn't like to handle life's difficulties and pain with equanimity?
In Christ, surely such impossible-sounding desires are possible, and in one of the most beautiful Gospel chapters, Jesus opens his heart to his disciples, telling them that he loves them, that they are his friends, and that he is always with them:
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. 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 …. When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." (John 15:9-15, 26, NIV)
Jesus is still saying this to us today: "I have called you friends" (John 15:15). If we begin meditating on the awesome intimacy of Christ's friendship, we can set about discovering the truth of St. Augustine's words: "God is closer to your soul than you are yourself" (Following Christ).
Be Still and Know
Solitude and silence are ancient spiritual disciplines that help us nurture our friendship with God. Solitude comes from the Latin solitudo, from solus for "alone," and silence merely means shutting our mouths for a moment, which is always hard for this particular middle-aged Cuban woman, wife, mother, and professor to do.
In this context, Psalm 46:10 may be the most overlooked verse in the Bible: "Be still, and know that I am God." How would our world change if we all practiced what it teaches? The ancient Christian mystics teach us that—more importantly and closer to home—our lives are transformed when we are still and quiet regularly. In one sermon, the 13-century Benedictine nun Umiltà of Faenza says, "Those who want to be able to listen well to God's speaking must enclose themselves in great silence" (A Little Daily Wisdom).
Getting alone with God helps us listen to the rich, soul-making silence that is divine love.
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Agape
I was saved out of New Age so I can relate to mysticism. Eastern mysticism is extremely dangerous..."emptying your mind" and going into self-induced trances are NOT endorsed in Scripture. This is a vague "spirituality" that leads people into man-made beliefs away from God. However, we also have to contrast the article with our culture's ideal of living hectic, constantly active lives. All too often we seek out "white noise" to fill all the empty spaces in our lives. This distracts us from the deeper issues we face. The Bible does say "Be still and know that I am God" and "In quietness and trust is your strength." These have to be taken into context. But I wouldn't discourage people from seeking God through spiritually meaningful quiet times. I have found it extremely helpful to do so. Keep in mind that we are to honor God my using our minds. Thinking on God's characteristics and seeking to know Him through quiet prayer (guided by the truth in the Bible) can help us grow.
Anonymous
If you look at Psalm 46:10 in context to the passage, it talks about the sovereignty of God and that we can "rest" or "trust" in Him. "Be still" from the original Hebrew means to cease striving or attempting personal efforts and submit to God. Even the new age groups use this verse out of context, "Be still and know....I am God". A belief in their own divinity. I think we need to be discerning about articles that use verses to promote a contemplative agenda and attachwar mystic teachings.
Faith
No where in Scripture does it tell us to "practice" silence. No where in Scripture does it tell us that this is a discipline to master. What guilt to lay on unsuspecting Christians to follow works to achieve some closer enlightenment with God!! This is heresy against what the Cross already accomplished- Christ gave His life so that ALL we had to do was believe on Him and be saved from our wickedness. He gives us faith to believe and TRUST in Him. HE DOES THE REST- He sanctifies us to do His will- NO works involved. Scripture and prayer leads us through the Holy Spirit to do His will- some formula like contemplative prayer is just another work to make us feel better about US DOING and less about glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. This sounds more like the church losing its salt and flavoring itself with Catholicism instead.
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