The Faith of Friends

I told a friend goodbye today
Our paths may never cross again
He's moving on... beyond... away---
His life is turning a new bend.
The roads we travel are not the same;
our direction is different, too
We differ in destination, in aim,
and in the walking that we do.
The road I walk is on higher grounds,
for the Lord has lifted me
to a place where His promises abound,
a plane my friend can't see.
My friend has never walked this path
nor known the Master's guiding hand.
He has never glimpsed the glory
of that precious Promised Land.
But God has allowed me the chance to share,
to show the signs of His love,
to forgive, to comfort, to strengthen, to care,
to tell of Heaven above.
My friend has surely seen the signs,
but the choice is his to make
He is aware of the route divine,
but which road will he take?
I'm not sure if I'll ever have other chances
to show my friend the way;
I can only be thankful for past circumstances.
I can only pray
that along life's road a new walk will begin
in the journey of my friend
and some sweet day we'll be reunited
at our journeys' end

Sometimes we feel discouraged in our efforts to minister to others, especially to a close friend or family member who seems disinterested. However, we must continue to pray and know that God hears our prayers. In this way we are like the paralytic's friends who carried him to Jesus that he might be healed (Mark 2: 3-5). It was the evidence of their faith that helped to make the difference. Verse 5 says, "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven" Continue to pray!!

From August 5, 1986