The Friend Who Stays

Sometimes, frankly, friends will disappoint you. Sometimes even family will disappoint you. But the Bible says, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV). That friend is Jesus.

Friends come and go, but Jesus comes and stays. And it’s only Jesus who is going to save you. It not Jesus and church tradition or Jesus and moral living. Nor is it Jesus and the law and the prophets. That’s why we no longer need animal sacrifices. We don’t need a high priest to step in and represent us to God anymore because Jesus is our high priest. Jesus is the Lamb of God.

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have open access to God the Father 24/7. We can approach Him through Christ. If you have asked Jesus into your life, He’s not going to leave you. He’s not going to forsake you. You have His Word on that.

Only Jesus can heal a broken heart. Only Jesus can give us the strength to go on when it’s getting hard. As David wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NKJV).

That’s how we get through the valleys of life. That’s how we get through the storms of life. And that’s how we get through the hardships of life. We realize that we’re not alone. God is walking with us through it.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego discovered this as well when they walked through their fiery furnace. There was a fourth person with them whom King Nebuchadnezzar said looked like the Son of God (see Daniel 3:25). I believe it was Jesus who walked with them.

When you’re on your deathbed, it’s only Jesus who will save you. And it’s only Jesus whom you will stand before. When it’s all said and done, it’s only Jesus.