We do not make friends with God; God makes friends with us, bringing us to know him by making his love known to us... The word know, when used of God in this way, is a sovereign-grace word, pointing to God's initiative in loving, choosing, redeeming, calling and preserving.
J. I. PackerGod uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives.
J. I. Packer