The Far BankSample

The Way of Friends

Nothing ruins a fishing trip faster than a fight between friends. It was the first day of our college spring break, and tension flared after one of us succeeded the other by a long shot. What was meant as a playful brag turned into a petty argument, and the slow ten-mile-an-hour ride back across the “no-wake” lake was excruciating.

Friendships are difficult, even among believers. The book of Job reminds us of that. Job’s three friends started strong: “They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great” (Job 2:13). Their silence likely brought comfort. But once they opened their mouths, they deeply wounded Job. They insisted his suffering was his fault—spiritualizing his pain with false assumptions about God.

At the end of the story, God rebuked them: “My anger burns against you… for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). Their sin was not just poor friendship; it was misrepresenting God.

Jesus, in contrast, is the perfect friend. In John 15:15, He says, “No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” What made the disciples His friends? He let them in. He shared His heart and purpose—not just to inform them, but to draw them closer to God.

The friends we long for are those who make us feel safe and loved when we confess our sins. The ones who don’t just say “I’ll pray for you” but actually do. Friends who speak the truth about God—not to prove a point, but to point us to grace.

Even Christian friendships can fracture. My two fishing buddies didn’t speak for months. But God restores what’s broken. Eventually, they reconciled, and it wasn’t long before the three of us made our way across that same state lake at the blazing speed of ten miles an hour.

True friendship is a gift—and it begins with knowing the Friend who never fails.

Reflective Prayer: Lord, teach me the way of faithful friendship—where truth is spoken with grace, where silence has purpose, and where love covers the long, slow miles back to peace.