This question was derived from watching a video on Youtube. The speaker frightened me by saying that “God is not your good buddy, he is not your friend”. After I watched this video I felt like I lost my only true friend, and it made me feel like I’ve shamed God by praying to him as my friend as well as my Lord. I pray throughout my day while I’m at school or while I’m working and I don’t always bow my head and close my eyes. Is this disrespectful?
One of the advantages of the Internet is that it gives us access to a much wider variety of information than ever before. But it requires that we have a stronger foundation of belief so we can discern what the Bible teaches from something that’s just someone’s opinion. Otherwise we risk becoming hopelessly confused.
In Acts 17:11 Paul commended the Bereans for searching the scriptures daily to prove that what he was teaching them was the truth. If you do that in this case you’ll find that God has given us the authority to become His children, (John 1:12) and to call Him our Father (Gal. 4:6). You’ll find that Jesus called us His friends (John 15:12-15) and that God says we’re not to fear Him (Rom. 8:15-16). And you’ll conclude that while it’s right to respect God, it’s also right to think of Him as a friend and to desire a close and personal relationship with Him.