A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. – Proverbs 17:17
The Old Testament characters Job and Daniel had much in common. Both went through serious trials and challenges. Both had great success because of the blessing of God’s presence in their lives. Both are viewed as giants of the faith, one for his patience and suffering and the other for his purity in an impure culture.
Job and Daniel had something else in common – each had three significant friends. Here, however, the similarities end. Job’s friends became a thorn in his flesh, offering him condemnation when he needed compassion and companionship. As Job struggled with loss and grief, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar seemed bent on intensifying his pain rather than helping him in his adversity.
Daniel’s three friends were very different. Taken captive together, Daniel and his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, supported and strengthened one another in difficult times. They stood together in honoring God and in prayer, and in refusing to bow before the king’s image. That’s the kind of friend we need.
So what kind of friend am I? Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times.” Who needs you to be a friend today?
Lord, help me be the kind of friend
That makes my friend secure,
So they can find new strength and hope,
Their trials to endure.
A true friend is like support to a leaning wall.
