Real Friends Show Up in a Crisis

In review of Job 6:14 it says, “A friend should treat a troubled person kindly, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.”

Bottom Line:

In trouble you need loyal friends who will stand by your side.

What this means to me:

I need loyal friends in my life, ones who can be there for me when trouble comes. Real friends show up in a crisis. Real friends will walk into life when everybody else walks out. I can have a lot of acquaintances, but the key is who are the friends that will show up when a crisis occurs? This verse today also reminds me that even when people turn their back on God, they still deserve to have friends, its not just my Christian friends. Job 6:14 says, “A friend should treat a troubled person kindly, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty” (GW). The first thing everybody needs in a crisis is other people. A support group; some mature Christian brothers and sisters who will love, care, comfort, encourage, support, help meet your needs, and who will provide counsel. Small groups in my congregation help with this. It’s like building a safety network in your life so when the rogue winds come, there are some genuine friends who will be there. While it’s important to pray first, I can often be in stress and shock that I might not even know what to pray for. It’s important to have others who can pray for me. Often I can be in stress and shock and not even know what to pray for, so I need others around me who can say, “We’ll pray for you. We’ll believe for you. We’ll be there for you.” I was able to experience this first hand In my most recent illness. While in recovery I had many who visited and prayed for me. It was great to see the outpouring of concern others had for me. To help with a close set of friends, I have just started meeting with some guys so that we can be there for each other, hold each other accountable and help ourselves grow. I’m looking forward to this and what God will do for each of us through this interaction.