(Two very good friends)
I have 289 Facebook "friends"... and counting. Some of them I do not even know. I would not recognize them if they walked into the room and sat next to me. I'd say, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" They respond, "I am Facebook friend # 227."
"Oh. Sorry... I don't know you. I never knew you. I'm not even sure I want to know you."
In real life (not the matrix of social networking) one can have only so many friends. In my life, I've mostly had one or two at a time. As a little kid my two friends were John and Neil. I knew them, to some degree. Now my best friend is Linda. I know her very well, though not completely. And she knows me very well. Only God knows me better than Linda knows me.
God knows you very well. God knows you completely. God has countless billions of friends. You are one of them. At this point I love what A.W. Tozer has written:
"An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others."
In this life I have one very close friend, a number of real but casual (more or less) friends, and 289 Facebook friends, some of whom I do not know. And, God refers to me as his friend. Jesus said "I lay down my life for my friends. And you are my friends." Personalize this. Let it sink in. The omni-God of the universe knows you fully and yet loves you and calls you his friend and invites you into the circle dance of eternal Triune friendship. Gasp at this. Bow. Be glad.
