I have to share this Proverb I received from a friend today. It says this: “Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy. For good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.” That comes from The Message.
I don’t know about you, but I have a bad habit of taking my friendships for granted. So many times I don’t stop to think about how God has blessed me with “sweet friendships.” This last weekend I spent time with some very dear friends of mine, and made even more “sweet friendships!” It really did refresh my soul. Being around them I didn’t have to pretend that I had it all together or that I knew all the answers, but just leaned into them and together we just loved on the Lord through worship and one another through fellowship. As I heard them encouraging me, and encouraging our other friends I remembered that one of the greatest gifts of God was the work of His Holy Spirit in and through His believers to REpresent his presence in our midst.
And Oh, how we experienced the presence of God! The result is that our hearts were filled with JOY! Several of the people I was around were really going through difficult times. To be honest, I went not feeling the best in my spirit. I felt rather low and empty as though my life really didn’t matter much. Perhaps some reading this may be feeling that way too. I would encourage you rather than isolating yourself, to reach out to some of those friends that you know are followers of Jesus Christ. Why those friends you might say? Well, because they are possessors of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God himself who of course is the only source of love. I hope you are tracking with me. Those filled with the Holy Spirit have a Divine love in them. Something that no human has naturally, but is given as a gift of God’s grace when one yields their heart to Jesus Christ. So a believer, filled with the Holy Spirit can then be like anointing oil to their friends or a fragrant incense that literally initiates the “PRESENCE” of God in that relationship or friendship.
For sure, we can have good friendships without the presence of God, or the Holy Spirit. But it just won’t be what it could be without the “PRESENCE” of God. I thank God for my friendships, all of them! And I especially thank God for those “Sweet friendships” that are full of the presence of God and refresh my dry soul at times as well as re-awakening my heart with joy. Most of all, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy being in the “Presence of God” with my dear “sweet friends!”
If you are reading this and your first thought is I have never experienced that kind of friendship, begin praying that God will provide those kind of “sweet friendships” to you, but remember, you must also commit to being that kind of friend to others!
My prayer for you this day, dear friend is that the presence of God will make himself known to you through your ‘ sweet friendships” and that your soul will be refreshed, and your hearts awakened with joy!
(Editor’s Note: This column is written by a different Littlefield pastor for the Leader-News each week. The columns are published on this page on Wednesdays.)