A reunion of old friends
Nov 14,2022
Best friends are one of life's greatest gifts, one of life's greatest blessings. I can track so much of my life, my personal growth, through those precious relationships, those precious friendships. How many times have those faithful friends given wisdom in the moment of weakness, help in the moment of trial, strength that was not theirs.
I'm sitting here in my little office, surrounded by my books, because books are among my dearest friends. David Gentry once said, "True friendship comes when the silence between two people feels comfortable". There is nothing more comfortable and enjoyable than sitting among these friends. It's like a party for introverts, where no one has to say a word and there isn't a single awkward moment. The silence is beautiful.

I sit here and poll my friends, counting my blessings.

My first two friends were the Gospel of Shame and What Ever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?. Both entered my life on the same day. The first one challenged me, calling me to leave a church where the gospel is despised and go to a church where the gospel is central. The second challenged me to find the great Reformation doctrines that were once dear to me but were beginning to be forgotten.

Lenski said, "He was the truest and best friend who honestly told us the truth about himself, even though he knew we wouldn't like him." One of my best friends, God, loved me as much as I did and told me that I had too low a view of God. He encouraged me to see God so much bigger, taller, and brighter. I spent many afternoons at his company, learning, growing and meeting new challenges.

I glanced over and saw my friend , who made me see the darkness of my sin against the light of the cross. Nearby is my most stable friend, systematic theology, which has repeatedly strengthened me, given me boundaries, helped me better understand myself and my God. Nearby are my church history friends, who remind me that no experience I face is new, but that every challenge, every temptation, every struggle, Christians have faced before.

Then I looked at The Call, the first book I had read with another group of Christians, that met weekly, long before sunrise, to discuss, apply, and appreciate. These are precious moments.

On the other side of the room, I see commentaries, experts from one Bible book or another, friends who overlooked a moment in my life to guide me through a difficult passage or companion while I am preparing a lecture or the entire lecture. series of lectures. Their wisdom makes me happy. The faithful God has been a valuable companion during this time; it is the same for the two volumes of Waltke on Proverbs and Esther & Ruth by Duguid.

And then Overcoming Sin & Temptation and The Jewel of Christian Contentment and the Bruised Reed, friends from another era whose timeless wisdom continued to test me. Not far away are Precious Measures Against Satan's Devices, which started out as a friend of friends but has now become a close friend in its own right.

At the door were some new friends, people I'd just been introduced to, but ones I'm sure I will have.