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Oh Brother
Proverbs 17:17 can sound glib, kind of like nursery-school ‘now kids, remember to be nice to each other ALL the time’. Read it again though. There’s a bigger challenge in there, especially when we read that little proverb-nugget alongside Job 2:11. The particular Hebrew word that’s used for ‘friend’ in Proverbs 17:17 is the same version of the word as is used in Job 2:11. To give you the full picture, go read Job 2 verses 11, 12, and 13. Yeah. *That* is friendship. That’s real, brotherly love.
Job was hurting. Everything was falling apart around him. He was also covered in sores, so his buddies would have known that he was ‘unclean’ under Jewish law. In short, Job was a complete mess. But, despite all of that, those friends travelled cross country just to get alongside him. They sat with him for a week, in silence, just to show that they were there for him. Yup, a whole week. We reckon that covers both the loving-at-all-times and ‘adversity’ bases of today’s Proverb. So the question is, how can we do the same? How can we be that sort of friend, and where can we find friends like that for ourselves?
Well, love comes from God right? So He’s probably a good place to start. If we want to strengthen our friendships, the best plan is to fill them full of God, knowing that He’ll equip everyone who’s His to be a rock to those around them in hard times.
What Now?
Soooooo… get on that. Arrange for a bit of a worship-and-Bible sesh with some friends. Start by asking what each person needs your support for, pray it through with them, and go from there.
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