When A Friendship Can Be More

By Alexandra Copeland

Nothing in our lives happens randomly. This is hard for some people to believe, but if we’ll look at things more closely, we’ll see that everything is related, and nothing happens by chance. Acts 17:26 tells us that from one man, God has made all nations; He marked out every person’s life in history and set the boundaries of where they were to be born. He very definitely has a master plan, and no detail about our lives escapes Heavenly Father. He even knows the number of hairs on our heads. He also considered the framing of our families and friendships when He marked out our lives. He knew the people that would surround us. They are a part of His plan for our individual lives, and of course, everyone is included in His plan for the entire universe.

Our Heavenly Father is loving, powerful, and intelligent beyond anything we can imagine. In Isaiah 55:8-9(NLT), He tells us, “8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” There are billions of galaxies within the universe, and the distance between earth and the place of God’s residence are immeasurable. So, our intelligence is not even a pinhead’s worth when compared to God’s intelligence.

It is important to be reminded of God’s magnificence continually because we can become so self-absorbed and egotistical about humanity’s advancement that we forget how small and fragile we really are. Another reason that it is important to be reminded of the awesomeness of our Heavenly Father is because it causes our well of gratitude for His goodness to continually swell. Psalm 115:12 tells us that God is mindful of us. He loves us so much, and we’re always on His mind. He is concerned about every detail of our existences, and for this we must be so incredibly thankful.

For those that have been praying to cross paths with the person they hope to marry one day, factoring into the equation God’s concern and plan for our lives is integral to success. We are where we are for a reason, and the people around us were meant to be impacted by us and us by them. It is also reasonable to assume that we are just a few people away from the person who will be the most significant person in our lives. But sometimes we don’t see this. The person may be in plain sight, and it is entirely possible that we see them frequently, but because we haven’t prayed to know God’s Will for this area of our lives, our eyes are closed to the person that only faith can reveal.

In the Old Testament, Heavenly Father told His people in Jeremiah 29:11(NLT), “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God wanted them to know that their lives were not random, and that He, the Creator of the entire universe, has plans for us all. It is a good plan, not one that causes us harm or trips us up; it is a plan that gives us a great future—one that is hopeful and bright.

The world can be a very ugly place, and sometimes we’re so cynical that we can’t see the goodness of God and His plan for us. We lose sight of the reality that something wonderful can happen any moment, instead, we expect the worse. This kind of outlook is a lens from which opportunity cannot be seen. An acquaintance, present or past, can turn into something beautiful, and a friendship can turn into something more. A person that you least expect can impact your life in a phenomenal way. These things happen all the time, but we’ve got to create a head and heart space where hopefulness thrives, and a space that faith permanently calls home.

Again, nothing about your life is by chance. 1John 3:20(NKJV) tells us, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” This very moment, Heavenly Father knows the person you’re going to marry. A wonderful opportunity is waiting to blossom in your life, and you may need to shift the focus of your prayers and to change your thought-life to see it. Make a commitment to do this. Be patient with yourself as you switch gears and begin to increase your faith in the wonderful plan that God has for your life.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“When A Friendship Can Be More” by Alexandra Copeland © 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.