Experiencing Friendship with God: How the Wilderness Draws Us to His Presence

by Faith Eury Cho

Build a confident friendship with Jesus using practical techniques backed by timeless wisdom to carry you through seasons of difficulty and back to abundance—from pastor and speaker Faith Eury Cho.

“A kind guide to help us explore the riches of our friend and Savior, Jesus . . . You’ll love this book.”—Jess Connolly, author of You Are the Girl For the Job and Breaking Free From Body Shame

In tough times, we can become more familiar with pain than progress and more acquainted with loneliness than companionship. But what if the purpose of our faith is not to reach the Promised Land but to recognize that God is with us in our lowest moments and times of our own personal wilderness? 

In Experiencing Friendship with God, speaker and pastor Faith Eury Cho draws on ancient wisdom about intimacy with God to help us cultivate a relationship with Him, even among all the complications of today’s world. With practical ideas and stories from her own spiritual journey, Faith explores how to

• trust God when life is overwhelming
• pray when you don’t feel like you have the words
• keep faith when God feels silent
• continue to focus on the hope we have in Jesus

If knowing the Presence of God is our greatest desire, then every season of our lives has significance—even the lowest. Only then do we realize that the purpose of each moment is God Himself. 

And when we do that, we will understand that we were never without Him after all.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Theology

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Faith has been a gospel preacher since she was 19-years-old. Currently, she is a pastor, church planter, author, and speaker. The mission of her life is for all to know and enjoy the gift of the gospel, which is the Presence of God. She holds a Masters of Divinity with a concentration in Global Studies from Rawlings School of Divinity (now also known as Liberty Theological Seminary). She has been ministering in the church for 20 years. Alongside her husband, Pastor David Cho, she is the co-founder and teaching pastor of Mosaic Covenant Church of NJ. Together, they have the joy of raising four children.

Reviews

[Anna Westerfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book 😭 Brought me to tears and gentle conviction as I wrestle with wanting Jesus’ presence over what He can do for me. And the wrestle with the mystery of Him, but the assurance of His love. So so good.

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it is inspired by Brother Lawrence’s book “Practicing the Presence of God” which is a favorite of mine. I’m glad I read this- it definitely was timely for me. There is no higher purpose than knowing God and no substitute for communing with him.

[Natalie Herr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle companion when you’re walking through the wilderness. Cho brings the wisdom of Brother Lawrence into the wilderness and helps us to switch our focus off of the challenges of our circumstances and on to the presence of God with us.

[Bronwyn Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profoundly encouraging, thoughtful, practical and wise. I highlighted half the book!

[Alanna]

Drawing on the writings of Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Laurence, Faith Cho was written a book that shows how important seeking a genuine friendship with God truly is. I found the book to be engaging and her thoughts to be well laid out and appreciate her including so many personal stories. I found myself thinking a lot about my relationship with God and how I approach it and often felt convicted about what I need to work on. I also found some parts that resonated with me about how my church body could be impacting the world in a much greater way if we were to truly try to seek God and a relationship with Him together as a group.
I would recommend this book to those looking to grow their relationship with God into a true friendship.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, and this review is my own opinion.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Experiencing Friendship with God, Faith Eury Cho shares a gentle blueprint formed by God's Word, her own experiences, and the ancient wisdom of Brother Lawrence for fostering a deeper friendship with God. The book is laid out in three parts - The Purpose of the Wilderness, Drawing Closer to God's Presence, and Living as a Friend of God. I was particularly drawn to the second part of the book.

I was expecting a little more about the wilderness throughout this book, but found it to be truly focused more on the basics of developing a deeper relationship with God in a more general sense. Nothing wrong with that, but just something to note if the "wilderness" aspect is what is drawing you to this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Waterbrook Publishing for a digital copy to read for review. All opinions are my own.

[Damaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle, full-of-courage guide to pressing into His presence even when we’re in the Wilderness. I loved this book. So much truth!

[Christina Klassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read! Very richly written. I struggled a little because it felt like a lot at once. Wish it would have had smaller chapters. But will probably reread again in future ❤️

[Kristin Basch · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a friend we have in Jesus ❤️ I’m looking forward to going back to the (many) things I underlined. This book was a gift to me ❤️

[Sheryl Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A life changing read!

This book has literally shifted my paradigm and changed me forever. Faith Eury Cho is a blessing to The Body of Christ and to all who will read her book.

[Lee Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has a nice solid foundation and a good theological basis.

It is a good book, although describing how to experience God and practice his presence is a bit like nailing Jello to the wall.

I got a lot out of this book, and it’s the second in a row that I’ve read using Brother Lawrence and his book as a reference point.

Worth the time to read; lots of Scripture for reference , and good solid examples.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a fair review.

Highly recommended.

[Laurel A. Burlew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers such deep and important realities of the Christian walk. Faith emphasizes the need for friendship with God, over duty to—or going through the motions for—Him. I read this book as part of the launch team and am so glad that I did. I’m going to be recommending it to friends and family!

[Markie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Experiencing Friendship with God" by Faith Eury Cho is a spiritual guide that encourages readers to develop a confident and intimate friendship with Jesus. In a world filled with pain, loneliness, and a sense of wandering, the author explores the idea that the purpose of our journey is not solely to reach a destination but to recognize and experience God's presence with us, even in the midst of the wilderness.

Drawing on the wisdom of Brother Lawrence, Faith Eury Cho combines ancient insights with modern guidance to help readers deepen their relationship with God. Through practical ideas, personal stories, and reflections on her own spiritual journey, she offers readers tools to wrestle with the tension of believing in a seemingly invisible God and to find wisdom in the biblical narrative of Israel's journey through the wilderness.

The book delves into the concept of a life centered around God's presence, providing practical advice on deepening intimacy with God. It explores the paradox of mystery and faith, as well as the intertwining of longing and hope. The author emphasizes that knowing and experiencing God's presence should be our ultimate desire, and that every season of life, including the wilderness, holds significance and opportunities for spiritual growth.

Faith Eury Cho's writing style is gentle, inviting, and relatable. She offers encouragement and guidance to readers, creating a sense of companionship and support on their own spiritual journeys. The book's blend of ancient wisdom and contemporary insights provides a balanced approach that resonates with readers from various backgrounds and spiritual perspectives.

Overall, "Experiencing Friendship with God" is a thought-provoking and uplifting book that invites readers to explore the depths of their relationship with Jesus. Through its focus on God's presence and the significance of every life season, the book encourages readers to find comfort, hope, and fulfillment in their friendship with God.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a Christian since childhood, I have read scores of books on Christian growth and maturity. Cho's book is the best of them all because she not only informs and encourages but gives practical suggestions as well.

This book is a result of her own journey combined with inspiration by Brother Lawrence. Cho wants her readers to experience an intimate, authentic and passionate friendship with God. She writes about her own experience of wilderness. She found that the wilderness experience revealed the fragile nature of her relationship with God. She felt God was not present and if He was present, He was not enough.

She realized knowing His presence was the purpose of the wilderness. It was really the purpose of everything. “...[Y]our friendship with God must be your highest priority and the center of all you do.” (289/2348) All of that is well said and has been said in other books. But the difference in this book is that Cho gives us practical ideas on how to do that.

She encourages us to embrace the mystery. She helps us in the skill of acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit. She gives ideas for developing spiritual muscles so that we go from co-existence to communion. She helps us get back on track when we wander off.

This is the most enlightening and practical book I have read on cultivating a real relationship with God. It is a book I'll read again and again. If there is one book you read about spiritual growth this year, make it this one. If you really want to abide in His Presence, even when you feel you are in the wilderness, read this book.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Here is my review.

Have you always longed for a deeper friendship with the Lord but didn't know how to really go about it? Have you tried to read the word and pray, and be a "good Christian" but feel like you can't really get close to your Lord and Savior? I have too, so I have a book idea that helped me to understand how to go deeper into friendship with the Lord, and I learned that He wants that with me too, and all of us! (This is a review for NetGalley, where I received a free copy in return for my honest opinion.)

Faith Eury Cho felt this same way that I described, so she wrote this book Experiencing Friendship with God that I am reviewing here, and I can't recommend it highly enough! She takes her experiences, mixes them with the word of God, and shares how she developed a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. She writes in an easy way to understand, and explains how she was able to go deeper with God! This is not a how to do a friendship with God in 5 easy steps, but a book about a woman, and pastor, who felt like her relationship was mediocre at best, but found out that God was already drawing her to a deeper friendship, and so she said yes, Lord I want to go deeper with You. He responded by showed her how to do just that, and this book is her sharing that process.

I learned so much, and felt the Lord calling me to a deeper friendship as I read each page, so I am sharing this with you. It literally helped me come to the Lord's well, and drink deeply from His living water, and now I want to keep coming back for more!!! I rate it 5 out of 5 stars, and think it is extremely vital for all who are searching for a deeper relationship with Him!!

[Visit Many · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard about Faith Eury Cho through Instagram. The mysterious algorithm decided I might be interested in her content. Maybe because she’s a Christian author or maybe because she’s an Asian American woman like me. Either way, the algorithm was not wrong. And I immediately purchased the audiobook version of Experiencing Friendship with God, which Faith narrates herself. As I listened to the book, it became apparent that there was too much good stuff in here to just listen; this deserved a hard copy and highlighters. I’ve since listened to the book once and read the hard copy book twice. It’s that good.

In Experiencing Friendship with God, Faith guides us through our wilderness seasons, showing us that the true purpose of the wilderness is not to reach the Promised Land but to experience God’s presence with us in the wilderness. She uses the timeless wisdom found in Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence and the story of Israel’s time in the wilderness Exodus to give practical advice on cultivating an awareness of God’s presence, even in our toughest moments.

✨If you are walking through your own wilderness season right now and wondering where God is, this book is for you. Faith Eury Cho writes as both a friend and a pastor. Her book will make you feel seen and loved, while not holding back from asking hard questions and teaching challenging truths.


Relatable, practical, biblically rooted, genre: Christian Nonfiction.

Favorite Quote: “God can do more with your loyalty in the wilderness than you can do by yourself in the promised land.”

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tremendous book with a much needed message for our times. Faith Eury Cho reflects on her own wilderness seasons and draws inspiration from Brother Lawrence's "The Practice of the Presence of God' to champion the notion that Jesus offers us His friendship in such challenging seasons.

So often we simply want God to get us out of our trouble (of course, we're just human) but what He always offers us is Himself, even if our season is prolonged. As Pastor Cho writes and validates with Bible references and Brother Lawrence's experiences, having Jesus as a friend helps us put them into perspective. He is our greatest gift and even in the worst of times, we can experience Him in a very tangible way to help us keep persevering.

Friendship with God is a popular theme at the moment with a number of books being released on the subject but what I appreciated about Pastor Cho's book was that she helped make it very tangible and accessible through her own experience, reflecting on Brother Lawrence and Biblical stories.

I did think the book would be enhanced with a study guide and/or a series of personal reflection prompts as often we all need a companion to help us put a book's content into practice. I'm hoping the publisher/Pastor Cho might have this on their radar for a subsequent release.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experiencing Friendship with God
How the Wilderness Draws Us to His Presence
by Faith Eury Cho
Pub Date 17 Oct 2023
WaterBrook & Multnomah,WaterBrook
Christian


Through WaterBrook & Multnomah and Netgalley, I'm reviewing Experiencing Friendship with God:


In the wilderness of the soul, pain can be more familiar than progress, loneliness more familiar than company. What if our wandering isn't about getting to the Promised Land, but about recognizing that God is with us? 



In Experiencing Friendship with God, Faith Eury Cho draws on Brother Lawrence's ancient wisdom about intimacy with God to help us experience God's Presence more fully in today's complicated world. The book explores the tension of believing in God even when you can't sense Him with practical ideas and stories from her own spiritual journey. Find tools to deepen our intimacy with God embrace the paradox of mystery and faith, of longing and hope, glean wisdom from Israel's wilderness journey, and understand what it's like to live centered around God's Presence.


Our greatest desire is to know God's Presence, so even the wilderness has meaning. We realize that God is the purpose of each moment in that barren land. 

When we do that, we'll realize we never were without Him.


I give Experiencing Friendship with God five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[jjs book nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the epitome of Christ’s love poured out for us, and how we can get to know Him more deeply and passionately.

I absolutely adored this book, and every single sentence within it captured my heart and truly helped me gain a much more profound sense of who Jesus is, and how I can experience friendship and community with Him.

There was not a sentence within this book that I did not agree with or that did not impact me in a miraculous way for Christ. I loved hearing new perspectives, and Faith Eury Cho is a very trustworthy spiritual leader, at that.

I’m so grateful that my church group propelled and inspired me to read this book, and I absolutely loved it. I would recommend it to anyone truly looking and seeking to experience friendship with our Creator.

Throughout reading this literary masterpiece, I have been able to transform certain areas of my life to be more edifying to Jesus, and I hope you will experience the same themes when you read this lovely book.

Thank you, Faith, for listening to God’s calling on your heart and sharing it with the rest of the world, that we might also experience a profound faith in Him, as you have so lead by example for all of us.

@jjs.book.nook

[Sarah Rooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a gentle rawness, Faith reminds us of our purpose in life- to be with God. Pulling from Brother Lawrene's influence, Faith translates the concept of "practicing the presence of God" into today's world. As a busy mother and minister, Faith has every reason to avoid a closeness with God, and yet, it would seem that those very experiences pushed her to seek more of God. Even in suffering. Most profoundly, Faith explores how wilderness seasons bring us to know God more deeply and intimately. She compares these seasons to the wanderings of the Israelites. I would have loved to see her pull more Scriptural parallels or quotations, but her words clearly express her experience into a friendship with God. She challenges check-box faiths and religious rituals, but instead invites us to experience God in every moment of our day to day lives. I appreciated how she still emphasizes the importance of the spiritual disciplines- such as reading our Bibles, praying, and fasting- as we grow to know and to love God. She also beautifully points us to the reality that a friendship with God will naturally flow into a love for others, as our hearts become like Christ's. I would recommend Faith's book to anyone who desires to simply know God more deeply. Thankful for her obedience and her words.

[Michelle Castaneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experiencing Friendship with God: How the Wilderness Draws Us to His Presence by Faith Eury Cho is an important book that every Christian should read. Here, you'll find an honest examination of hard things, or wilderness experiences. Why do they come? This book is a call to seek Jesus deeply, even in the bad times. It is a beautiful call to friendship with Jesus and finding in Him everything we need. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

[Lydia Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There is a pattern here. Friends of God get placed on holy assignment to do things that are beyond their capacity. These things are often awkward, inconvenient, or downright impossible … this friendship empowers us for the assignment.”
—
This was such a formative read for me. It seemed to fit so perfectly into my current season and gave me language for things I had been feeling for awhile. Faith Eury Cho’s explanation of “sacred assumption” alone is worth the price and the time to read. Such powerful ideas that can really impact someone’s intimate walk with the Lord.

[Hannah Cho · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The wilderness gave me a Friend.”
I needed someone to highlight the emotions and the truth which can be contradicting, personally, at times of trouble, and Faith eloquently wrote them all down. With so much honesty.
I’m thankful for Faith for helping me to vocalize what it looks like to be a presence-centered-Christian, who enjoys God. This book helped me to draw near to Christ bc it spoke of who He is and who I am in Christ.

[valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this slowly and really enjoyed it. The author takes what she learned from reading Brother Lawrence’s Practicing the Presence of God and how it’s impacted her life and faith. My favorite concept from the book was sacred assumption which is when you don’t understand what is going on and that God is not present that you remind yourself of what you know to be true of God.

[Alexandria 🫶🏻 Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book helped me re-fall in love with Jesus! He’s such a good and loving God, Father, and Friend and He wants to spend time with you! 🫶🏻

this book was so gentle and loving and encouraging, i highly recommend this to everyone! whether you’ve been a christian all your life, have left the church, or are a new christian/interested in God! 🩵

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was the best kind of mentoring. Faith Cho is a modern day Brother Lawrence. There are few books I’ve highlighted in the entire way through but this is one!!!! Whether you are in the wilderness or your walk with God feels good— you will be encouraged to.

[Tatiana Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a breath of fresh air! Learning to befriend the Lord has been a journey. This book made me laugh, cry, and ultimately led me into sweet moments of prayer anytime I picked it up. Highly recommend this book to any follower of Jesus but especially for those who feel like their walk with the Lord has become dull.

[McKayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so very kind and refreshing, reflecting the character of its author and its Subject. The gentle approach provides a beautiful reminder that the goal of Christianity is genuine relationship, not behavior modification.

[Christine Tursi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminders of the sweet presence of the Lord in the wilderness.
Helps for making sense of the wilderness. If all you find in the wilderness, all you got from the wilderness is Him, then you got and found everything.

[Erin Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I loved the authors writing style and she just came across as incredibly caring and empathetic. She talked a lot about praising God in the wilderness and ways we can set ourselves up for success.