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

— Proverbs 17:17

One of God’s greatest gifts to humanity is relationships. We are created for relationships; we are designed by God to be in community with others.

We will meet many people over our lifetime. With some, we will have no more than brief interactions in passing by, and with others we will have friendly acquaintances. Still others will become friends, even close friends, and others will become companions for life.

With some friends our relationships can feel as close as family, like a brother or sister, and we may love them just like family members. These are friends who will be there in both good times and bad, triumphs and tragedies, times of joy and times of sorrow.

Did you know that, in Jesus, God is actually our closest friend? He isn’t a passerby who merely sizes us up, or an acquaintance who enters our life from time to time. Jesus is our brother, our closest friend, who gave up his own life so that we can become the adopted children of God, members of God’s everlasting family, and coheirs in his eternal inheritance (see Romans 8:14-17).

Father in heaven, we can’t imagine how big your home must be to fit all of your adopted sons and daughters in it. Thank you for creating us to be in relationship with others. We look forward to the day when all your children will gather for the ultimate feast in your presence. Strengthen our faith and patience as we wait for that glorious day. Amen.