Fighting for Faith - Pt 3

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV).

The second suggestion in the Fight for Faith is to find a friend to remind you of the truth. Depression gets you stuck inside your head. Your brain becomes a swirling mass of half-truths and distorted perceptions. Up seems down; truth seems stranger than fiction. It’s impossible to think straight. It’s like looking upside down in a hall of darkened mirrors. During these times, we need someone to tell us the truth. Not in a corrective way or as an exhortation, but simply as an anchor. We need someone to remind us of the truth. Even when it doesn’t feel true, and it usually doesn’t, we need that friend who simply won’t let go. Even when we feel doomed, we need that special friend who helps know God is with us and He loves us. The world may let go, but God won’t. Did you know that just twenty minutes in the sun can do wonders for the darkened brain and the sunken soul? If you’re depressed, one of your greatest temptations is to shut people out. That’s understandable. It’s really hard to let people into the cage of your life. But you need someone to gently remind you of what’s real; you need a faithful friend to walk through the valley of depression with you. When your friend speaks the truth to you, it gives you something to grab onto. In the moments of darkness, don’t believe what your mind is telling you. Believe the words of your faithful friend. When you are alone then it is hard to see where you are going. You need someone beside you to help you go in the right way. And it is hard to get up when you stumble and fall. Our reading is not just speaking here about marriage. It is true that if you have a good marriage, then your wife, or your husband, should be your best friend. But this applies to everybody. We all need a good friend. This passage applies also to the single people in our midst, and to the widows and the widowers. We all need a good friend who will help us when we are down. The Bible teaches us that the Lord our God is our help. And so that goes without saying as we go through our daily lives. The Lord God is our help in everything. However, as the frightened little boy said in the midst of the thunderstorm, “Dad, I just need God with skin on.” A faithful friend is essential in the fight!