Friends

 Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem called the Thousandth Man about the rarity of a true friend. I won't quote it because it is hard to read. But the gist of it is this.

Most people will pat your back when life’s easy and vanish the moment things get rough. Nine hundred and ninety‑nine will smile, shake your hand, then keep their distance.

But once in a great while, you meet the thousandth man — the one who stays. The one who tells you the truth, even when it stings. The one who keeps your confidence like it’s treasure.

He stands with you when the crowd steps back. He shows up when everyone else makes excuses. He defends your name when you’re not in the room. He doesn’t flinch when you’re at your worst, and doesn’t envy you when you’re at your best. You can trust him with your failures, your fears, your future. He’s the brother you didn’t choose but would never trade.

If you find that man, honour him. If you lose him, grieve him. And if you can — be that man for someone else.

I have found that sort of friendship with two men. David McCracken and Frank Wilson. Both, one in a thousand; men who felt my pain, as I feel theirs.

But where can God find a friend? God finds friends among men and women. Angels feel no pain and seraphim live in contented, unchanging bliss.  Only people, whose hearts feel love for their children and whose hearts can be broken, can understand the heart of the Father. Abraham understood God’s pain as He walked up the long path to Mount Moriah to offer His Son.  Job also experienced great pain and loss.  Job lost property, his children and his dreams, just like God, who lost His planet, His creation and His children, all in one day.  Who can understand the pain and hurt that God felt when His Son was riddled with our putrid sin and disease?  Maybe people like Job, as he suffered without a cause.

Friend, every painful, lonely, disappointing moment in our lives can enable a deeper friendship with God. He certainly understands how we feel and when we experience a little of the fellowship of His sufferings, He is inviting us to become an even closer friend.