The Voice of a Friend

I saw someone this week who seemed familiar.  We both were with other people and engaged in conversation.  We passed each other with no comment.  Then she turned and spoke.  Instantly I called out her name and we embraced.  We had not seen each other for at least a decade, but although my brain could not come up with a name from seeing her face alone, when I heard her speak,  I knew the voice of my friend.  Don't you just love it!
When you spend time with someone, you learn their voice.  You probably see where I'm going,  don't you.  Abraham was called a friend of God.  Think back on his story.  He recognized God's voice and both spoke with God and listened to God.  They were friends,  and Abraham knew the voice of his Friend . God told him to do things and go places and Abraham did those things and went to those places because he knew God was his friend and he knew he could trust that friend. God even made some seemingly impossible promises to Abraham.  God is completely trustworthy,  and kept every promise He made to his friend Abraham.
I love catching up with old friends. Perhaps we only shared a few years together, but our friendship is still valuable.  How much more valuable is our relationship with God, our Father.  He wants to spend time with you.   Listen to Him. His voice is the precious, tender voice of a friend.   I'm so thankful she spoke to me that day, and ever so much more thankful to be called a friend of God.