What do your friendships look like? What kind of friends do you have and what kind of a friend are you? When my daughter was a Girl Scout, each time they had a troop meeting they would clasp hands and sing: “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”
Have you ever looked closely at your friendships? I have been put in that position. I believe that the friends you have can be a matter of life or death. Proverbs 12:26 says, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” I think the subject of friendships is very important to God. The Bible has plenty to say about the subject so we should take friendships seriously.
Several years ago, my husband had surgery which led to him developing sepsis. His body went into septic shock which put him in the ICU for eleven days, then several other wards of the hospital for a total of forty-two days. During several of those days the doctors told me he might not make it through the night. Those were very dark nights, but we were able to overcome because of the strength we received from friends we surrounded ourselves with. They strengthened us physically, emotionally and, most importantly, spiritually until we saw the victory.
During that time my husband was fighting for his life, our friends were there for us. We were never alone. The prayers from our friends went way beyond the obligatory, “We’ll be praying for you.” These were prayer warriors who spent real time in prayer proclaiming God’s Word over him for his full healing. Friends that stood at his bedside reading God’s Word over him. It is what sustained both of us during that dark time. I am so thankful for those friends and how they ministered to us in so many ways.
We need to be thoughtful in choosing and surrounding ourselves with Godly friends, then be diligent to cultivate and feed those relationships. Godly friendships don’t just happen, they must be nurtured with prayer and time. Praying together and spending time together praying with each other and for each other. This time together in prayer binds people together unlike any other bond. It binds with a spiritual bond that Godly friendships are made with. It goes way beyond any bond of what the world thinks friendship should be based on.
The world tries to tell you friendships are based on commonality such as social position or common hobbies, etc. Those are surface friends and are fine but can not ever fulfill the depths of true friendship, Godly friendships that God desires for you to experience.
If you need more Godly friendships in your life, start praying God will lead you in that direction. Look around you for Prayer Groups or Bible Studies that you can join. Be open and authentic. God will draw you to the right group and show you how to develop new friends. Continue to pray and be open to who God wants to bring into your life, because it may surprise you who that next new friend might be.
