A Forever Friend

     A friend is defined as someone you know and like and is a supporter.  Yet, I would take it a step further and say that they must like me, as well.   They should be someone with whom I can share my values and confidences without concern that these will be passed on to become a “gossip column.”

     Some of us have those types of friends.  They may have developed in childhood and stayed with us, or they may have developed as we met new acquaintances along our journey in life.  Those relationships are precious.  Then, some friendships are here for a while but, for whatever reason, have gone by the way-side.  They were here only for a season; at a time when their friendship was needed.  

     Some of us have a host of friends, and some have only a few.  Whatever the case, sometimes I am sure there are times when we question whether our confidences will be betrayed.  We may be fearful of allowing them to know the true person we really are.  We may choose to disclose one area of our life to one friend while disclosing another side to another friend. 

     Regardless of how many friends we have or what we choose to disclose, there is one true relationship which takes the form of 3 friends; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Here is a relationship that can be counted on.  Our whole being is disclosed to them, and we are still loved.  We need have no fear of what will be disclosed to others, and we have a certainty that They will be on our side through thick and thin. 

      We are told in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.”  That friend is Jesus!  He knew how we would treat Him, and He chose to die for us, anyway. 

     We are also told in Proverbs 18:24, “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”  I believe that friend is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  God knew us before we were born, He has every hair numbered.  He is a friend who knows all about us.  Nothing is hidden.  It is God the Father, though Jesus’s intercession, who gives us the Holy Spirit.  “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  John 14:16-17.  

     Our friend, the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us leads and directs us. He helps us make the right decisions.  He is our shining light.  “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:13.

     There is no greater friend or relationship than the friend we have in the Trinty; God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.   He promises to be our friend forever if we will only believe.  How simple is that?

     However, as in any friendship, it takes work on our part to develop a strong, lasting intimate  relationship.  We have to step out in faith and belief, being confident in the guidance and protection bestowed upon us.  There is no place for compromise and empty promises.  We have to lay out a groundwork of honesty.  God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit stand waiting every day for us to knock on the door to share our burdens, our fears, our hopes, our joys, and our dreams.  God is a friend who understands it all. 
     Yet, developing a friendship is a two-way street.  We need to befriend Him back.  God wants us to love Him with our thankfulness, prayers, and reading of the Word.  He wants us to get to know Him.  He wants quiet time from us so we can listen for the silent voice and nudging of the Spirit.  He wants us to share His great love with others.  Is that too much to ask for an eternal home with our best friend?