He gives us resources to see Him, to learn Him, to
experience Him—not only firsthand, but secondhand. One of the resources God has given us,
besides the beautiful, beautiful Bible, is our friendships.
When the firsthand is failing, it is the second that
offers encouragement.
When the first lacks conviction, the second offers
edification.
When the first lacks direction, the second offers
guidance.
I’m thankful for the secondhands in my life. When stories are shared, I am reminded of
God’s love and sovereignty. I’m reminded
that I’m not the only one who loves God, who struggles to love God and be
obedient. I am reminded that He is constantly
at work in all of our lives.
Tonight, I read an e-mail from a friend—a beautiful,
on-fire-for-God woman, and I cried, both challenged and encouraged. The women I admire in my life—the ones who just
ooze Jesus—know that the most satisfying path to Jesus is the one fertilized
with “hard prayers.”
Hard prayers are my favorite. They’re not your obviously beautiful, “Bless
her walk, Lord,” prayers. No! They’re the, “God, tear down her walls,
challenge her, rebuild her however You see fit,” prayers, the “God, do whatever
it takes to bring her closer to You,” prayers.
Doesn't sound quite that friendly or loving, does it?
If we rearrange our minds to reflect the eternal kingdom,
our perspective is permanently changed. Our minds need
be set on the dial of eternity—for death
is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart via hunky King
Solomon.
If the purpose of our lives is to glorify God, to be closer
to Him, to walk like Him, to be like Him, to live like Him, a prayer to take
anything that stands in the way of that is ultimately the sweetest prayer. Our flesh a permanent magnet for sin, it is out of
love that these prayers are prayed, and we are in desperate need of friendships
that yank us closer to God.
Keep these friends around you. I learned long ago—thanks,
Matt Chandler!—that these are the friends to hold precious.
These friends are the resources that, with the water from
the Living Well, help to nurture your walk.
(Beware of weeds that suck away your time, destroy good spirits, and act
as poison instead of nourishment.)
If we truly are like the five people we are with the most
in life—if our friendships are a reflection of who we are—take note of who is
in your life, and, though honoring everyone, appreciate all the more the secondhands
whose lives are present day pictures of our God answering in love our hard
prayers.
