by tredway » Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:24 pm
“A friend is loving at all times, and becomes a brother in times of trouble.” So states Proverbs 17:17 in The Basic Bible. Especially is a friend needed during “times of trouble.” The psalmist Asaph experienced severe emotional turmoil, yet he had drawn near to God as a friend. Thus, even though his “heart was soured” by inner pain, he said: “God is the rock of my heart.” (Psalm 73:21, 26, 28) Jehovah, who truly understood what Asaph was feeling, gave him emotional support. Jehovah was a stabilizing influence on Asaph so that he would not lose hope and courage.
Our heavenly Friend can likewise be a rocklike foundation for you during adversity. One teenager
found this out through personal experience. When Bonnie was 13 years old, some of the girls in her small country school started a vicious, slanderous rumor about her. To Bonnie it seemed as if everyone believed this lie. Many of her classmates gave her a cold reception, even calling her degrading names. “Lots of nights I would come home and cry,” explained Bonnie. “I even felt like killing myself because I hurt so bad inside.” She turned to some of her friends for support. “I tried to talk to people, but they didn’t seem to understand. They made my problem sound as if it were nothing. Sometimes I felt so alone.” What kept her from losing hope in the midst of such turmoil? She continues: “If it weren’t for Jehovah, I would have killed myself. I love him so much. He is my best friend.” Now she knows that it was her friendship with God that helped her to endure that emotionally crushing experience.