Originally posted 4/2/24
Do you have that one friend who knows what you are thinking before you say it? Do you have that friend with whom you can share your deepest, darkest secret? Do you have that friend who will go anywhere with you?
My son has always traveled in a pack of friends. When he was in high school, he had a large group of friends that always hung out together. He went to college and created another pack of friends. His college pack continues to take vacations together 8 years after graduation. In fact they are on a vacation together as I write this. Now that most of them are married, their wives have joined the pack. There is typically one trip a year with spouses and one trip without spouses.
My husband and I are older so our pack is much smaller. We have another couple that we have dinner with twice a week. We love to play golf so we frequently go on golf vacations together. It makes it easy because we are in the same season of life. We treasure this couple greatly.
Our friendships have changed over the years. Sometimes friends are friends for life and sometimes they are friends for a season. I have had many close friends over the years that I have worked with. When I no longer worked with them, the friendship waned. However, when I see them we can always pick up where we left off. I recently had lunch with one of those friends that I don’t see very often. You would not have known that we had not seen each other in a long time. Each one of those friends have been precious in different ways.
A few months ago I visited my daughter. I was going to be on my own one night so I made arrangements to go to dinner with someone I knew from an online Facebook group. My daughter and son-in-law seemed a little concerned that I was going alone to meet someone in person that I had met online. There is nothing like hearing your words come of your child’s mouth. She was not meet an ax murderer or a criminal. She was an actual person who was the same person I met online. I made a new friend that night. In fact I will see her again in March when I go meet 34 other women from the same online Facebook group. What makes this group of women unique? They are all believers. We all come from different backgrounds from all around the world and worship in different types of churches. However, we have the bond of Christ and that is priceless.
Friends are a blessing from God. I’m so grateful for each friend that has come in and out of my life. One group of friends I find so precious now are the friends who I encounter through Bible study. It is so precious to dig into God’s Word together. I have a group of ladies I lead and a group of women I join online for study. We laugh, pray, and learn more about our Savior. The best part of these friends is the accountability I have with them. There are women in each group who will call me out if I am not doing what I should. If you don’t have someone to hold you accountable, reach out to your pastor for help. I believe they are crucial to our walk with Christ.
While my friends are very precious to me, the most precious friend I have is Jesus. Psalm 25:14 says, “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
He is always there. It doesn’t matter the time of day or night, Jesus is always available. I love the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus:
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
This song reminds us that Jesus is our ultimate friend. No one could compare to the depth of joy that can be found with a friendship with Jesus. It won’t always be easy, but it is certainly worth it. There is no friendship worth more. John 15:13-15 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
In Scripture, the word “friend” is used 52 times in the ESV and friendship is used another 5 times. The word “friends” is used 55 times. When you total all these passages, we have a combined 112 occurrences.
Friendship is very important to us all. We need to be mindful of our close friends. Do they help us walk in a way that is worthy of the gospel or do they distract us? Do your earthly friends encourage you to pray and spend time in God’s Word? Are you able to share your love for the Lord with your friends?
If you lack this type of friend, I would encourage you to begin praying for that type of friend who will walk alongside you, pray with you, and help you grow closer to the Lord.
Image from AI
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