Friendship

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

The phrase “born for adversity jumps off the page for me as I read this verse and consider friendship. Warren Wiersbe said, “It’s possible to have many companions and no real friends.” Adversity is a continual state of serious misfortune, it’s not a one-time event. And yet scripture says that what defines “friend” is being born for such hardship and continual difficulty. The question that arises in my mind is, am I a companion or friend to Jesus? Do I hold him accountable for my difficulties or do I hold to Him? Am I born to walk with Jesus through every challenge in life, or am I just an acquaintance hanging around for the enjoyable seasons?

I’m deeply convicted when I consider what it means to have the title of “friend” no less to the one who has given me everything. To be a friend of God isn’t a light thing, it’s a biblically defined thing marked by faithfulness no matter the season. Jesus is your friend. He suffered the adversity of mocking and scorning, torture and ultimately death, and he never left you. He was left alone to die, and he alone conquered the enemy so you and I could be free. He went a step further and found the ones who disowned him, to remind them that he loved them enough, to still be their friend. He offers us the ultimate friendship through salvation and his shed blood. The real question is, are you His friend?

Pastor Natalie Snider