All of us need friends. Last weekend, we had strong storms come through our area that knocked down lots of trees. A good friend volunteers to bring his chainsaw and kids over to help clean up the downed trees. A good friend is a widow who sits next to another recent widow in church to keep her company. When you’re moving to a new house, a good friend is anyone with a pickup truck.
God created us to be social creatures and enjoy the companionship and friendship of others. Our Hymn of the Day celebrates a friend like no other: "What a Friend we have in Jesus."
Verse one: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry ev’rything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry ev’rything to God in prayer!
A good friend is someone you can lean on, trust, count on, be there for you. Hopefully you are just as good of a friend to others. Friendship should be mutually advantageous to both people involved. Friendships are usually established through common interests or experiences. Friendships happen through being together as classmates, neighbors, teammates, etc.
That’s not the way it is with our friendship with Jesus. We are not equals. Jesus is our Savior. He is the Son of God who came from heaven to earth to rescue us from our sins. He is much greater than the friend who helps you move stuff in his pickup truck. Jesus carries all your sins and griefs. You can give him all your cares and worries in your prayers. He’ll replace them with peace and joy.
Verse two: Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged— take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness— take it to the Lord in prayer.
All of us go through troubles. Everyone of us is tempted. Everybody will experience sorrows. Too often we try to deal with the troubles, temptations, and sorrows on our own. And it ends badly for us. The troubles overwhelm us. The temptations overpower us. The sorrows overtake us. We aren’t strong enough on our own to stand up to the pressures of life.
But our friend Jesus is. He is a faithful friend who “knows our ev’ry weakness.” So take those weaknesses to the Lord in prayer. In our Gospel lesson for this week, Jesus teaches his disciples about the value of prayer. He says, ““I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).
Verse three: Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms he’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Jesus knows every sin and every shattered friendship we have ever experienced. He knows how weak we how we are often carting a load of care around with us wherever we go. That’s probably one of the reasons we’re tired all the time. We’re trying to do it all alone. We need a friend to lighten our load.
Our friend Jesus comes along and removes that heavy load. But first he wants us to pray to him to lighten the load. Jesus knows the right gifts at the right time in the right place. That’s why he teaches, “What father among you, if your son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:11-13)?
You may have chosen your friends. Your friends may have chosen you. Because of our sinfulness, we were born enemies of God. By nature, we wanted nothing to do with Jesus. Still, Jesus has chosen us to be his friends. We have the privilege of taking everything, every need, every hope, to him in prayer. As our hymn reminds us, we forfeit peace and sleep, we bear needless pain, carry heavy loads, all when we do not seek our Lord's help in prayer.
We value our earthly friends. They are gifts of God for us, and we enjoy the love and trust we share with them. Yet at times even the best of earthly friends might be too busy to hear from us. They may have other plans, but our Friend Jesus never tires of our friendship and trust. He is always beside us and waiting to hear from us. In joy or discouragement, in weakness and in hope, in pain or in peace, our refrain must always be, "Take it to the Lord in prayer."