Faithful Friends
READ
As Christ-followers, we cannot be “fair-weather” friends. We are called to love others the way that Christ has loved us—fiercely and faithfully, even when the going gets rough.
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). If we are to be His disciples, we must stand by our friends, even when they struggle and stray. Anyone can show love when life is easy—but Christ’s divine love shines through us when we remain faithful to our friends through hardship.
In Christ, we are more than friends—we are bound together as members of an eternal family. Like any good family should, we must extend one another love, grace, and patience even when trials and disagreements threaten to tear us apart.
We aren’t just encouraged to love like this. We were born to love like this.
Let’s take a moment to read Proverbs 17:17:
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
REFLECT
2024 was the hardest year of my life. I hit rock bottom—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If my health issues weren’t difficult enough, I worsened my situation by refusing to care for myself. I was hell-bent on self-destruction. I felt utterly hopeless and resigned to a life ruled by the thief who steals, kills, and destroys. I could see no way out of the prison I had built for myself.
My friends and family struggled to support me as they watched me tear myself apart. They did everything they could—but I fought back against their love and accountability at every turn. I stubbornly refused both help and hope.
Yet they never left my side. And by doing so, they showed me who God is.
When we are experiencing adversity and heartbreak, it is difficult to trust in God’s faithfulness. In our distress, we feel utterly convinced that God has abandoned and betrayed us.
But in these seasons of suffering and doubt, the goodness of God is made visible in the love given to us by others. When our circumstances seem to prove that God is malicious or apathetic to our pain, the tender care extended by our friends and family serves as evidence that He is near.
The loyal love we experience in earthly relationships offers a glimpse of God’s inexhaustible faithfulness. And when we are faithful friends to others—even in their darkest moments —we get to show them what the steadfast love of God looks like.
When loving others in their valley seasons feels beyond us, we can lean on the Most Faithful One to strengthen us to be a true friend.
When we lack community in our darkest times, we can pray that He would surround us with friends and family that stand by us.
When we receive faithful love from others as we navigate pain and loss, we can thank them for renewing our trust in God’s steadfast character.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
Is there someone you’re finding it difficult to love faithfully right now? How might you show them Christlike love this week while maintaining healthy boundaries?
Who in your life has loved you faithfully through your desert seasons? Have you thanked them?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Most faithful God, thank You for surrounding us with faithful friends who strive to love us like You do. Thank You for making Your character known through the resilient, enduring love of Your people. In Your grace, empower us to mimic You in our relationships by standing by our friends through every trial. Strengthen us to continue extending patience and compassion to those in our lives who are difficult to love. Don’t let us give up on loving those who are struggling with sin and difficult circumstances. You have never given up on us. Help us to remain faithful to one another, remembering how loyal You have been to us before we ever took a breath. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.