This is the third day in the weeklong series Cultivating Deep Roots. Find yesterday’s post here.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree
planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither —
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3, NIV
Psalm 1:1 shows a dangerous progression in the formation of friends. A simple walk in the way of the wicked could soon become pausing to stand with sinners and then dangerously entrenching oneself by sitting with scoffers. A wise woman chooses the opposite. She walks, stands, and sits with the godly, for she knows her friends should encourage and build her up in the way of Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:11), and she wants to be that kind of friend to others.
A wise woman follows Jesus’ example and chooses three close friends (Peter, James and John, see Mark 14:32-42). These are the intimate friends who listen long, provide accountability, pray together, sit quietly in moments of grief, talk through challenges and joys, wrestle with biblical truths, and hopefully find ways to be together during seasons of physical distancing (walks, virtual teatimes, phone calls, etc.). Who are your three? If you can’t think of three right now, don’t feel bad. Deep friendships take time and trust to develop. Pray about the friendships you might cultivate in 2021 and then find opportunities to deepen them.