The Friendship Factor

Friendship Factor

Read and reflect on Daniel chapter 1.

As I was writing the first devotional in the Daniel series, I realized how blessed Daniel was to have close friends with him on the tumultuous journey of being captives in Babylon. The young men had lost everything familiar to them. They had family, friends, culture, and all that made them feel secure stripped of them in the final siege of Jerusalem.

Nebuchadnezzar’s army sent them packing to Babylon only because their captors saw they might be of some value to the advancement of the Babylonian empire. The scripture does not reveal if or how many of their family and close friends were killed in those final days. War is ugly and more than likely they lost someone or many loved ones during that time.

Their worldview and all that made them who they were spiritually was also being challenged daily in the king’s training school. Daniel clung to his own culture by clinging in friendship to those who were from Judah. He stepped up to lead them in ways to protect their spiritual identity and keep their eyes focused on the living God.

Maybe you relate to this example of Daniel and his friends. You might even be an immigrant to a brand-new county. You might be in a situation where you feel very lonely and friendless. You might be a missionary that has navigated a new culture and language to meet the call of Jesus in your life to share His good news with others.

f you are in any of these situations, I challenge you to cling to the best friend, Jesus, that you will ever need. Jesus says of Himself, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father, I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15). Lean into Jesus and discover His friendship. His love will transform the situation, no matter how chaotic it seems in the moment.

I just experienced a wonderful example of friendship at the 2023 St. David’s Christian Writer’s conference. It was joyful to be surrounded by many fellow writers on a variety of writing pathways. Each conferee took the time to build others up just like Daniel did for his friends. The blessing of those conferee’s knowing Jesus as a friend made the experience unlike any other. Reaching out in love to others and inviting instant friendship at the conference was a natural expression flowing from their friendship with Jesus. The friendship factor is amazing and grows exponentially when Jesus is your best friend.

New friends at St. David’s: Rebekah and Cheryl

Blessings,

Ellen