For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Philem. 1:7
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? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Eccles. 4:9-12
Heavenly Father, I cannot imagine how raging storms can be navigated, heavy burdens borne, and crazy-making seasons endured without the company of a few good friends—a “gospel posse,” a few friends who keep showing up, no matter what. I praise you today for the gift of friendship—for the joy, encouragement, and refreshment given and received as we walk with a few comrades in grace and hope.
When we walk through certain seasons of stress and heartache, we’re often inclined to think, “No one can possibly understand what I’m going through. No one can begin to relate to my anger and confusion. No one is as messed up as me. Everyone would handle this so much better than I am.”
Those are the times when it’s easy to withdraw into isolation, fall into the pit of condemnation, and reach for some ill-chosen medication. That’s when the gift of long-standing soul-engaging friends becomes especially precious… and necessary.
Father, I praise you for the gift of hearing friends utter these two words: “Me too.” I praise you for friends who know how to “refresh the hearts of the saints”—including this saint. I praise you for friends who remind me of the truth and power of the gospel, of the love of Jesus, and of the bigger story you are always writing. I praise you for friends who share their lives and not just their gospel. I praise you for friends who offer tears and not just their answers. I praise you for friends who give life-giving wisdom and not just mess-fixing formulas. Lord, make of me a much better friend…
These kinds of friendships turn our hearts heavenward. They remind us that the foundation and fountain of all good friendship is found in you. We will eternally praise you for befriending us in the gospel. Nothing is more astonishing, settling, and comforting than to hear Jesus say to us, “I no longer call you servants; I call you friends” (John 15:15). “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). What wondrous love is this, indeed. Hallelujah, what a salvation! Hallelujah, what a Savior! So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ most glorious and gracious name.
