A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. – Proverbs 18:24
Some years ago, I boarded a 747 out of Portland with a dear friend. We were headed for a long-planned vacation. We flew up into the gray skies of the Pacific Northwest, and five hours later landed in delightful Honolulu, which presented an atmosphere of sunshine, warm breezes, and glorious flowers. Thinking back on that vacation, I realize that it would not have held such charm, excitement, and breathtaking beauty if I had gone alone. Happily, the Lord blessed me with a wonderful friend who wanted to share the experience with me.
My friend did not mind that the day before we were to leave for Hawaii, I broke a bone in my foot and subsequently had to wear a cumbersome walking cast, which kept me from participating in many of the fun activities we had planned to do together. Even though my broken bone put a damper on our trip, my friend never complained and helped in every way she could to see that my vacation was as wonderful as her own.
When we think about our friends, it can remind us of the Lord Jesus’ wondrous affection and love toward us. Earthly friends are good, and can bring joy and blessings to us when we are together; but they cannot be with us always, like the Lord can. Friends can lift us up with encouraging words, but they cannot give us the peace that passes all understanding as Jesus does. And friends can make our hearts rejoice and feel loved by their kind and gentle ways, but they can never give the unspeakable joy that the Lord Jesus gives when we surrender our lives to Him.
As our focus verse explains, the Lord is a friend who sticks closer to us than a brother or earthly best friend. He is there for us all the time—leading, protecting, and loving us in ways we cannot comprehend. He is the champion of friends and His love exceeds all other love. Imagine how much we would miss if we went through life without Him!
If the Lord Jesus is not your best friend today, invite Him into your life. Talk to Him through prayer and read His Word, the Bible. When you give your life to Him and follow His leading, He will give you unlimited blessings and a wondrous assurance of eternal life when life on earth is over. What a precious, priceless friendship can be found in Jesus!