Such a Glorious Friend:

I have started to look at a devotional book from the Daily Grace company about the different hymns that have been created and written to give praise to our great Savior, Jesus Christ.  The hymns, like many of the texts and the psalms, found in the Bible are speaking from the heart and are praise to our great Lord.  They are written by man, but they are written with the guidance and support from the Holy Spirit.  Because of this, there is a lot that can be learned, as well as provide us with guidance to our own praise.  

The very first hymn that I was given to look at was, “Oh what a Friend, we have in Jesus,” by Joseph M. Scriven. Some of the song lyrics are, “Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”  One of my favorite things about friends is that I can go to them whenever I am upset or whenever I am hurt.  I love that they will be a listening ear and will give me advice for the different situations and different problems that arise in my life.  However, friends are people, and they will not be perfect.  There are going to be times when our friends will not be available or will not be able to help.  Even the absolute best friends are not able to fix everything or to be present at all times.  God, though, is completely perfect, so he will always be willing and available to listen or help us.  It is such a complete blessing that we can go to the Lord in prayer for everything. 

I will not lie when I say I have had some struggles in the past with friendships. I have had moments of being hurt by my friends, and I have felt defeated. However, then I read this hymn, and I can remember that while I love my friends, they are not where I should put my whole identity or where I should find complete comfort. In fact, I read this devotional on the very day I woke up to find myself hurt that others were hanging out without me. I felt a bit crushed and embarrassed. Then I read this devotional in the absolute perfect time. The Lord wanted me to remember that morning, that while having friends on this side of heaven is wonderful, they are not the main priority. He is. The best way to have good friendships is to focus on him first, and then people second, including our neighbors and friends.

Throughout looking at this hymn, we also looked at some verses that match well with the meaning of this hymn. One such verse was Psalm 25: 14 which says, “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” What I love about this verse is it shows God has a desire to have a relationship with us, his people. We are his creation, and he created us for his own enjoyment and his own joy. This shows that he doesn’t just want our friendship because he knows it will be for our benefit, but he wants us to come to him, so he can tell us about himself and so he can share his goodness.

The Bible actually has a lot of thought and a lot of verses with the focus of good friendship, discipleship, and fellowship.  The Lord wants his people to have other friends who are focused on growing in the overall friendship and love with Jesus.  Yes, God wants us to travel throughout the world, preaching God’s good news and being his missionaries, but he also wants to make sure that we have a solid friend basis to help us grow and become closer to God.  Again, this can only be done through God first.  We need to make sure we are seeking him first, and then we will be blessed with Godly friendships that will help us grow closer and closer to him.  

The Lord, through his example, also challenges us to be good friends.  Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”  God wants us to be his light to everyone, including our friends.  Our friends are going to go through tough times, and we are called to be the ones that are there for them.  We are called to be a guiding light for them to see their truest friend, Jesus.  It is important that in all ways, we are good friends-kind, loving, sacrificing, humble- and that we are leading them to the maker of the universe and their own personal saviors.  We are called to be as good of friends that we, as man, can be, but then through God they can receive so much more.  

Like in all things, God has blessed us with friendships. These are supposed to be used for our own good and to give him glory.  However, like in all things, we can start to focus more on the blessings rather than the giver of those blessings.  It is important to remember to focus on God being our number one best friend and learning multiple different lessons from his example of how to be a good friend.  I hope that this week you can find at least one person you want to be an extra good friend to.  I am going to end our time with a short prayer to our best friend.  I hope you all can feel these same thoughts in your heart. 

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for being my friend.  Thank you for being there for me in my highest highs and my lowest lows.  I love that you want to be my friend, a sinner and a piece of this earth.  You want to share your covenant and promises with me because you see me as a friend, and I wholeheartedly praise and thank you.  

Thank you for my friendships on earth. Thank you that I have many people to talk to and receive help/guidance from. I pray you will help me remember to not become too obsessed with what is happening with my friends but rather to focus on you. Please help me to not become overly concerned about the thoughts of my friends, but rather focus on your thoughts. I pray I can be a Godly example of a friend to all those around me.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen