October 3, 2020
Friends
By Deborah D. Smith & Michael W. Smith
And friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them. And a friend will not say never, ‘cause the welcome will not end. Though it’s hard to let you go, in the Father’s hands we know that a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends.
Last Sunday evening I went to a friend’s house for a small get together. He had just built this nice picnic table and invited a few friends over to be the first to use it. It was a fun evening filled with joy and laughter. I arrived late, and there wasn’t enough room for me to sit right next to anyone, so I sat on a chair just outside of the head of the table. While my friends sat across from each other, I had the perfect vantage point to see the faces of all four of them at the same time. I got to see all their funny faces, hear their laughter, and partake in the telling of stories. It was a blessing to be able to look at this gang and see how much fun they were having together.
I love my friends.
In the 1980s, Michael W. Smith and his wife, Debbie, collaborated on the song, “Friends,” as a tribute to one of their good friends who was moving away. While it can be used as a tribute in that context, “Friends” can also be used as a memorial for a friend who has passed away. In fact, I once told a friend that if someone makes a memorial video of me when I die, I’d like this song played in the background of that video. And, like a good friend does, she wrote that down to remember in case I go first 
Smith has sung this song many, many times over the years, and has notably done so with his long-time friend Amy Grant. Smith and Grant have toured and sung together for decades and have proven that friendship can last a lifetime.
Over the years I have been blessed with new friendships, many of which continue to this day. I also feel blessed to say that I have been friends since birth with my first best friend. While life has taken us in two different directions and we don’t get to see each other as often as we would like, our love for each other still remains and we always catch up like no time has passed.
The chorus of “Friends,” says, “Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them…In the Father’s hands we know that a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends.” Being a part of the Church means that you belong to the Family of God. That means that you will have friends for eternity. To me, this is one of the reasons why unity among Christians is so important, because our friendships are going to last forever. When we’re in heaven we will probably make friends we didn’t know existed. In heaven, our friendships won’t be divided by denominations, ethnicities, ages, genders, etc. Our unity will be, and only is, found in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us so that we can all be part of the Family of God.
Jesus is the ultimate best friend. Jesus says this in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice of laying down his life for us, and he calls us his friends (John 15:15).
As brothers and sisters in Christ, whose friendships will never end, may we show love to one another that reflects the love of Jesus. We are commanded to love, and are commanded, as God’s people, to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and to bear with and forgive one another as God has forgiven us (Colossians 3:12-14).
I thank the Lord for my friendships. I have grown spiritually, physically, and emotionally because of them, and I will continue to grow. My friends have made quarantine a lot more bearable. I pray that each of you have friends in your life to whom you can turn when you need them. And if you don’t, rest assured in knowing that you have a friend in Jesus, who will never leave you nor forsake you, who shows you all the great qualities of a good friend, and whose love for you is greater than any love you can find on earth.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
