Friends

Today’s devotion by Rick Warren, “Real Friends Show Up in a Crisis”.” A friend should treat a troubled person kindly, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.” (Job 6:14 GW). Real friends show up when you’re in a crisis. Real friends walk into your life when everybody else walks out. It is in a crisis that you learn pretty quickly the difference between acquaintances and friends. You have a lot of acquaintances. Who is the friend that is going to show up in the crisis in your life? Did you know that the Bible says that even when people turn their back on God, they still deserve to have 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. You need a support group — some mature Christian brothers and sisters who will love you, who will care for you, who will comfort you, who will encourage you, who will support you, who will meet your needs, who will counsel you. That’s why I never stop talking about the importance of being in a small group. Build a safety network in your life so when the rogue winds come you have genuine friends who will be there for you. You say, “But wait a minute! Don’t you need to pray first?” Well yeah, if you can. But the truth is, in a crisis you’re usually in so much stress and shock that you don’t even know what to pray. It’s at that point that you need other people praying for you. You need other people to say, “It’s OK. We’ll pray for you. We’ll believe for you. We’ll be there for you.” Who are the people in your life who will call you to show up for them when they are in a crisis? What keeps you from being available and present when your friends are in a crisis? Who are the people in your life who will show up when you are in a crisis?