A friend that sticks closer than a brother

What do you need? What are you looking for? These were the questions put to me last evening as I shared my longings for love.

I know I want to give and receive unconditional love both in word and deed.

I don’t want to get married again and I know I cannot feel totally loved, understood and accepted all the time and certainly no one person, even in the best of relationships can supply the depth of what my soul desires. I know that.

Maybe recognizing the cry of my heart is the important thing. Maybe expressing it is healthy. But it is more than existential, more than spiritual/theological. There is a flesh and blood need that is not easily satisfied and cannot be forced or artificial. That’s why I said in my blog post yesterday:

"Right now it looks like rather than one person in my life in that special place, I will have to find those needs met through a composite of relationships from family, church, co-workers and friends – male and female.”
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But I do find some hope for Scripture that God might also provide one special friend as well as a composite of relationships.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24). In Scripture, God often provided such a friend in the form of a servant, a colleague, a mentor, or a protege.

Some Biblical examples:

1. Jeremiah and Baruch (Jer. 36:5-8).
2. Moses and Joshua. (Num. 11:28), (Ex. 24:13), stayed with him at God's tent (Ex. 33:11), (Ex. 17:8-13), (Num. 27:18-20).
3. Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 19:4, 16).
4. Paul and Barnabas (Acts 9:26, 27). (Acts 11:19-30), then (Acts 13-14)
5 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 1:8, 3:17, 18).

And these women as examples...

6 Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1:16
7 Deborah and Barak (Judges 4:8, 9).

Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader). September/October 2000, Vol. 38, No. 5, Page 51