FRIENDS

Tucked away in a remote part of America, Durino, Jack, Pat, Larry, Johnny and George meet six mornings a week at the Silver Spoon. For years they met at The Hook Shop until tight financial times forced its owner to close. Their appreciation for each other is built on a daily investment of time they wouldn’t think of forsaking. Over coffee they sit and poke fun at each other and trade the latest news. In rural Kellogg, Idaho, a healthy habit most of urban America has lost flourishes.

There are lots of people with great friends who don’t know God, but I don’t know anyone who has a deep relationship with God that does not have close friends. A person without friends is like a car with no mirrors. The driver can function, the car still runs but the journey is a pain for the neck.

We all need friends. Friends have the freedom to warn us when we are about to do something foolish or to point out the garden when all we can see is the weed. It’s interesting that our Almighty Father did not make us each Adam and give us a world to rule. He made Eve, and us—sons and daughters, because through fellowship we learn more about each other, and most importantly, more about Him.

When peace is taken for granted the pieces that make friendship must not be neglected. In a time of tough times, pity the person who disdains others. When the smell of hell fills the air and terror roams unseen the real tragedy is those who have only fear to embrace. What value is it to stockpile goods and live in isolation? Without friends we can only paint a skewed picture of God.

Meditation

Job 2:11-13—Three of Job’s friends were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to demonstrate their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. And no one said a word, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words. (NLT)

When Job’s world fell apart three friends dropped their agendas to be with him. What we assume from the passage is a long-standing friendship was in place. While their advice to him was flawed, their presence and commitment to Job was inspiring. Together, the four of them learned more about God then they could have ever learned alone. May we learn from them! Oh God, increase our love for one another so that we might understand Your love for us. Something to think about . . . in reveration.