A Day-by-day devotional

March 1, 2023

Friendship

Chronological One Year Bible Reading Plan: Numbers 15-16

Scripture of the Day: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

If you take a section of hair, part it in two and intertwine them, you get a lose braid. However, if, instead of dividing the section into two, you make three parts and intertwine them together, you get a tighter braid. A three-part braid takes harder to undo than a two-part braid. It is just like a three-fold cord which is 50% stronger and more difficult to break than a two-fold one.

When God created Adam, He said that “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). He designed humans to be social and build relationships with one another. Therefore, being alone in life, without other people to share in one’s joy and sorrow, is foreign to God’s plan for humanity. We have been created to fellowship with God, and each other.

That is why, apart from the family that we were born into, or grew up in, we are meant to expand our relationships. We hence build friendships. We each need others in our lives in order to brave the world much better than when we try to do it all by ourselves. Friendships help us go through life in a steadier way than we ever could alone.

True friends help us succeed. If we stumble and fall, a friend could reach out and help us get up. However, if we fall alone, there is much trouble ahead of us. Moreover, if anything comes against us, a person standing alone could easily be defeated. A person who stands with a friend or friends would be harder to attack.

Let us rejoice for the friendships that we have. Let us celebrate our friends, for a real friend is not only someone who gets to be by our side. Instead, a genuine friend also pleads to God, on our behalf (Job 16:20-21. And who else could be a better example for a friend than the One who laid down His life for our sake? (John 15:13)

Reflection: When have you last prayed for a friend?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for the gift of friendship. I thank you for all my friends. Today, I lift each of them up to you, and ask that you bless them beyond their imaginings. Amen.