Lesson 08

Jehovah wants you to know him better. Why? He hopes that the more you learn about his personality, his ways, and his purpose, the more you will want to be his friend. Can you really be God’s friend?

Read Psalm 25.14: Close friendship with Jehovah belongs to those who fear him, And he makes his covenant known to them.

What can you do to become his friend? The Bible answers those questions and reveals why friendship with Jehovah is the most important relationship you can have.

“Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (James 4:8)

What does this mean? Jehovah is inviting you to become his friend. Some may find it difficult to imagine being friends with anyone they cannot see, let alone with God himself. Yet, in his Word, the Bible, Jehovah reveals everything we need to know about his personality in order for us to draw close to him. When we read God’s message to us in the Bible, our friendship with Jehovah grows even though we have never seen him.

No one loves you more than Jehovah does. He wants you to be happy and to turn to him whenever you need help. You can “throw all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Jehovah is always ready to support, comfort, and listen to his friends.

Read Psalm 94.18, 19: When I said: “My foot is slipping,” Your loyal love, O Jehovah, kept supporting me. When anxieties overwhelmed me, You comforted and soothed me.

Jehovah loves people in general, “but His close friendship is with the upright.” (Proverbs 3:32)

Jehovah expects his friends to try to do things that he views as good and to avoid things that he considers bad. Some may feel that they could never live up to Jehovah’s standards of good and bad. However, Jehovah is large-hearted. He accepts everyone who truly loves Him and does his best to please Him.— Psalm 147:11; Acts 10:34, 35.

Learn more about how you can become Jehovah’s friend, and discover why he is the best Friend you can have.

The Bible account of Abraham (also called Abram) gives us a glimpse of what it means to be God’s friend.

Read Genesis 12.1-4: And Jehovah said to Abram: “Go out from your land and away from your relatives and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will become a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who calls down evil on you, and all the families of the ground will certainly be blessed by means of you.” So Abram went just as Jehovah had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

Then discuss these questions:

What did Jehovah ask Abraham to do?

What did Jehovah promise him?

How did Abraham respond to Jehovah’s instructions?

We usually expect certain things of our friends.

What are some things that you like your friends to do for you?

Read 1 John 5.3: For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome,

Discuss this question:

What does Jehovah expect of his friends?

In order to obey Jehovah, we may need to change our conduct or our personality traits.

Read Isaiah 48.17, 18: This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Discuss this question:

Why does Jehovah ask his friends to make changes?

Jehovah helps his friends cope with problems. Play the VIDEO, and then discuss the question that follows.

How has Jehovah helped the woman in the video to deal with her negative thinking and emotions?

Read Isaiah 41.10: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’

Read Isaiah 41.13: For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand, The One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’

Discuss these questions:

What does Jehovah promise to do for all of his friends?

Do you think Jehovah would make a good Friend? Why?

Communication strengthens bonds of friendship.

Read Psalm 86.6: Listen, O Jehovah, to my prayer; And pay attention to my pleas for help.

Read Psalm 86.11: Instruct me, O Jehovah, about your way. I will walk in your truth. Unify my heart to fear your name.

Discuss these questions:

How can we communicate with Jehovah?

How does Jehovah communicate with us?

What scripture would you use to show that we can be Jehovah’s friend?

Jehovah wants to be your Friend, and he will help you draw close to him.

How does Jehovah help his friends?

Why does Jehovah instruct his friends to make changes?

Do you think Jehovah expects too much of his friends? Why, or why not?

Lesson completed on:

Share with a friend something that you have learned about Jehovah.

Other: Memorizing Bible scriptures is vital for blind individuals to defend the truth using the Bible, build faith, provide comfort during difficult times, and keep God’s principles firm in heart and mind.

From lesson 8, memorize Isaiah 41:10: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’

Build a Bible mind map to locate scriptures, memorize: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum.

1. How can friendship with God affect your life?

“Jehovah—A God Worth Knowing” (The Watchtower, February 15, 2003) Open explore 1 in new page

2. Learn how to cultivate a friendship with God.

“How Can I Become God’s Friend?” (Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work, Volume 2, chapter 35) Open explore 2 in new page

3. Find out why one woman feels that her friendship with Jehovah saved her.

“I Did Not Want to Die!” (The Watchtower No. 1 2017) Open explore 3 in new page

4. Listen to teenagers express their feelings about Jehovah.

What Does It Mean to Be God’s Friend? (1:46) Open explore 4 in new page