What A Friend!

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. – Psalm 116:1 (NRSV)

Do you love God? If you do, why? How does that love show in your life? Have you called to God? Has God heard you when you called? How do you know? Do you live with the hope imbedded in the words of the psalmist? Read the rest of Psalm 116 and find out.

The following story is from – John C. Maxwell and Dan Reiland, The Treasure of a Friend (J. Countryman, 1999).
Jim and Phillip did everything together when they were kids. They even went to high school and college together. After college they joined the marines together. They were both sent to Germany, where they fought side by side in one of history’s ugliest wars.
During a fierce battle, they were given the command to retreat. As the men were running back, Jim noticed that Phillip hadn’t returned with the others. Jim begged his commanding officer to let him go after his friend, but the officer forbade the request, saying it would be suicide.
Jim disobeyed and went after Phillip. His heart pounding, he ran into the gunfire, calling out for Phillip. A short time later, his platoon saw him hobbling across the field carrying a limp body in his arms. The commanding officer shouted at Jim for his outrageous risk. “Your friend is dead,” he said. “There was nothing you could do.”
“No sir,” Jim replied. “I got there just in time. Before Phillip died, he said, ‘I knew you would come.’”

With God no matter how bad the situation, if we call out, we can be assured that God will come! Why would God come into any situation with us? Because God loves us! That is why we can love God, and talk to God all of the time. Too many of us claim we do not know how to pray, or worse yet do not have time to pray. The great old hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” says it best, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We must pray to our God, talking and sharing, because then we will be in a relationship and together all of the time. That same hymn needs to be quoted again, “Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our Refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer! Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.” If we are in any need, call to God, and when we discover God arrive we can with faith in our friend proclaim, “I knew you would come.”

With hope and joy,
Garrett