Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Philemon 1:7
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
Heavenly Father, I cannot imagine how storms can be navigated, burdens born, and hardships handled without the company of a few good friends. I praise you today for the gift of friendship—for the joy, encouragement and refreshment you’ve just given me through a special band of brothers. It could not have come at a better time.
There are difficult seasons we walk through when we’re inclined to think, “No one can possibly understand what I’m going through… no one can begin to relate to my feelings and confusion… no one is a mess like me.” 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 friends becomes especially precious.
Father, I praise you for the gift of hearing my friends say these two words, “Me too.” I praise you for brothers 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… 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.
Father, these cherished friendships turn my heart heavenward. They simply remind me that the foundation and fountain of all good friendship is found in you. I praise you for befriending us in the gospel. It is overwhelming… it is settling and centering to hear Jesus say to us, “I no longer call you servants… I call you friends” (John 15:15). What wondrous love is this, indeed? “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Hallelujah, what a salvation! Hallelujah, what a Savior! So very Amen, I pray, in Jesus’ most glorious and gracious name.
