Those Special Gifts

 

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

—Proverbs 17:17-

Have you ever been struggling with some kind of problem or challenge and just at the right moment someone steps in and offers to help? That has happened to me time and again throughout my life.

We are tempted to chalk such occurrences up to coincidence. But, I have come to understand that God often supplies special people to step into our lives at just the moment we need them. God gives us the gifts of people to help us find our way through the jungle of life.

I have told the story before in this blog, but for nearly three-and-a-half years back in the mid-1970s I prayed earnestly and asked God to send some godly man to help me grow in my relationship to Him. I knew it would have to be someone very unusual and very special. I really don't get along with people all that well. I have a domineering personality born out of issues from my childhood and strengthened by being bullied as a teenager. So, anyone that God would bring into my life would have to be someone that I could trust and respect.

You would think that after such a long time of asking God for this specific request I would have given up. I certainly considered doing that. But, I also knew from Scripture that sometimes God waits to answer our prayers until we have reached a point where we are truly ready to receive that answer.

And, that's exactly what happened. After three-and-a-half years of prayer, God brought a godly man into my life in a very amazing way. That man sensed something in me that no one else had ever sensed. He sensed a dormant value in me that he felt was worth investing his time and effort. As a result, I began to experience amazing spiritual growth and an increase in my closeness to God that I had not thought possible.

This man became my dear friend and that friendship continues to this day. In fact, after all these years, just within the last few years I have had the privilege of working with him directly, helping him in his ministry.

Notice what King Solomon says about such friendships in Proverbs 17:17:

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

God gives us special gifts when he brings certain people into our lives. We may not even realize what God is doing. We may simply accept new friendships as a matter of course. But, God knows exactly what He is doing. He always has our best interest at heart.

As you consider the people who have a positive influence in your life, take a moment today and thank God for these very special gifts He has given you in the lives of other precious people He has directed onto the pathway of your life.

All too soon this life will end. But, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the great anticipation of spending eternity with these very same precious people that God has made our friends in this earthly life.

 

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