Friends

The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

Nahum 1:7

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE remain friends? What makes them continue to feel close even though they may not see each other for years? What makes them “pick up right where they left off”?

George was pondering these questions after he’d been with a group of people he served with in ministry nearly two decades earlier—many of whom he hadn’t seen for years.

“I think it’s the fact that when you go through the same experiences; a bond is formed,” George speculated. “When we were all serving in that ministry together, we spent hours not only working with teenagers but also doing all the behind-the-scenes things that go with the territory . . . serving together at banquets for donors, praying together, planning events together. Sharing all those experiences, I believe, bonded us tightly.”

If sharing good experiences can knit people together, how much more do we feel bonded to someone who walks through “the valley of the shadow of death” with us? And how much more do we feel bonded with God when he’s seen us through tough times!

The bad news is that sometimes troubles will come into our lives. The good news, though, is that the Lord will go through each experience with us. Even better than a good friend, he can stay with us 24/7 through the whole ordeal. And each experience will strengthen that bond between God and us.