The Best of the Portals of Prayer

Read: 2nd Kings 4:1-7 / Psalm 12

“Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.”
Proverbs 27:10

Friends and Neighbors

Some believe that one of life’s most powerful forces is the desire for approval. In fact, the desire for approval is so strong that it leads some to violate their own sense of right and wrong in an attempt to gain the acceptance of others. So, when you hear someone say, “I don’t need anybody. I’d rather be alone,” you can take it with a grain of salt. Many say, that such people have felt rebuffed and hurt so often that they are now afraid to reach out to others.
In God, we live and move and have our being. For reasons not always clear to us, He lets other people cut in and out and across our path of life. Some may be neighbors and some may become our intimate friends. God says, “love your neighbor as yourself” [Leviticus 19:18]. First, love yourself. It is surprising how many people fail to do this. They do not recognize their own worth. They must be miserable. With proper self-regard goes love for the neighbor, a potential friend.
Jesus is the friend of sinners. He loved us, died for us, and chose us to be His friend – all without merit or worthiness on our part. And so He says: “love one another”.

O God, if I have to live alone, let there be a friend with calling distance to help me; for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

June 08, 1982