My middle child did not look too happy one afternoon. I asked her what
is troubling her and she said, the best friend she thought she now had
seemed distant. “Mama, she has a new best friend,” my daughter tells
me. My heart ached for her because I know she has been on a quest to
find a best friend in school ever since her closest friend moved to
another country.
Moms that we are, we also encounter challenges and even heartaches in
our social life — or what’s left of it given our motherhood duties.
We hold tight on the friendships we have had from singledom, we take
chances on forging new ones with fellow moms or people within our
sphere.
It will be comforting to know that God understands this need, and He
responds to it. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, it was written that
having someone to journey life with makes a person more resilient amid
inevitable challenges that come their way.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their
toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him
who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again,
if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
And so in our quest for Godly friendships, let us not forget that we
can always pray to the Lord to bless us with at least one. He
certainly will be more than happy to bless us with a person whom we
can pray with; who can remind us to do what is right and vice versa;
do life with; laugh with and cry with.
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a
friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:5-6
In the Bible, one of the friendships that was highlighted was that of
the Prophet Elijah and his protegee, Prophet Elisha. God sent Elisha
to Elijah’s life when the latter was so depressed. Elisha was loyal to
Elijah and he accompanied him everywhere, until the time God called
Him to the heavens.
Another friendship that was underscored in the Bible was that of King
David and Jonathan. Jonathan was so fiercely loyal to David that he
saved him from his own father’s sinister plan to kill the future king.
David reciprocated Jonathan’s loyalty by keeping his promise to him
that he will show kindness to his household even as the Lord
annihilates his enemies. And so, He gave Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth
a seat on his royal table, and restored to him the riches of his
grandfather’s household.
Meanwhile, in the New Testament, Jesus Himself showed how much He
valued friendship. Siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were Jesus’ good
friends and He spent time with them whenever He was in Bethany. When
Lazarus got sick and eventually died, his sisters sought Jesus for
help.
“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his
feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not
have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with
her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly
troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him,
“Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved
him!” John 11:32-36
And as we ask Jesus to bless us with God-honoring friendships, let us
not fail to appreciate the company that is right in front of us. It
may not be the ideal friendship that we have been praying for, but who
knows it might have the potential for a long-lasting Godly connection
that we can count on.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
As for the best friendship we could ever have, well, if we have
surrendered our life to Jesus, we know that we already possess the
greatest friend we could ever have. With Jesus, we have a
promise-keeping, forever encouraging, ultimately loyal, fiercely
protective, and most sincere friend who will never let us down. In Him
we have a friendship that goes beyond this lifetime.
And so let us spend time with Him intentionally everyday through our
quiet time and prayer, try to get to know Him more by reading and
reflecting on His words, sing praises with Him, and seek Him alongside
other believers in church worship.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. 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.”
John 15:12-14
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on John 11:1-44 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you have a best friend? Is your friendship
God-honoring? How do you seek the Lord together?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me
the friends that I already have. Thank you as well for the future
friendships you will bless me with. I appreciate how much you care for
me by making sure that I will not be alone in my earthly journey.
Grant me also the grace to continue nourishing our friendship by
allowing me to continue seeking you and abiding in you. Amen.
