Abram went 13 years without hearing from God after the fiasco that led to the birth of Ishmael. When God spoke, however, it was to remind him that He had been working all along, and His plan would be fulfilled.

After waiting for ten years for God's promise to come to fruition, Abram and Sarai embark on a plan to pursue God's promise outside of God's plan. The result was disastrous and echoes throughout history even to this day. When we're waiting on God, we can't give in to the temptation to run ahead of Him.

God called Abraham his friend. That friendship entailed the same characteristics that we would ascribe to friendship, including times of conversation and sharing our hearts with those whom we trust. In Genesis 15, God and Abram have a conversation and it teaches us much about the friendship we can have with God.