That’s What Friends Are For

A friend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)

Friends come in all different shapes and sizes. Some may be casual acquaintances that color our lives for a little while, others become an integral part of our existence. Some are tactful, others blunt. Some offer conditional love, others love without any strings attached.

But there is one friend who is better than gold: the one who is willing to ‘keep company’ with us through thick and thin. Mark 2 recounts the actions of four such men. When they heard Jesus was in town, they packed up their friend, mat and all, then carried him all the way to the house where Jesus was preaching. Because of the size of the crowd, they couldn’t accomplish what they had set out to do.

These men weren’t just casual acquaintances—they were the kind of friends who are like brothers. They knew what their friend needed. They fully believed Jesus could help him, so they took action.

What was in it for them? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I love how resourceful these men were. I like to think this is the kind of creative thing my husband would do. Can’t get through the door? No problem. We’ll dig a hole through the roof and lower him down on his mat, right in front of Jesus. No matter that we’re breaking and entering and interrupting Jesus to boot, our friend’s need trumps all that.

This story gives me pause. What kind of friend am I? Do I have my friend’s best interests at heart or am I in this relationship for selfish reasons? Would I be willing to put my plans temporarily on hold should my friend have a sudden need? What is my influence on their life? Do I lead them toward Christ or away from Christ? Do my words and actions build them up? Are they richer for my presence in their life?

The last thing I want is to be a fair-weather friend. I want to be the kind of friend who loves at all times, especially when someone I care about is going through adversity. I want to be the kind of friend who would do anything to lead my friends to the feet of Jesus.

I leave you with this thought by John MacArthur: “I am convinced, by the way, that friendships provide the most fertile soil for evangelism. When the reality of Christ is introduced into a relationship of love and trust that has already been established, the effect is powerful. And it seems that invariably, when someone becomes a true follower of Christ, that person’s first impulse is to want to find a friend and introduce that friend to Christ.”