// When we gather, in Your presence there is power. When we worship You together, You are here. When we gather. //

When We Gather: Brad & Rebekah

Being relational begins with an invitation of vulnerability.

This message is so near and dear to my heart. You go through life, you meet people hoping they like you enough to hang around you. Then at some point, they choose to stick around or fall away. Either way, at the end of your life you can look back to see those who’ve impacted you for the better. You could focus on the “for worse,” but those people probably didn’t make it to the end.

In the book of Daniel, you meet that type of friendship. Bonded by the love of the Lord, and placed in one tough position after another. There was room for each friend to walk away from the relationship, but in the end, it was worth sticking through the hard places. For those just joining us, please go back and read Finding Your Why. This is the second installment of our four-part journey encountering Daniel & the 3 Hebrew boys.

Brought together as captives of war, 2 Kings 24:16, these men could find refuge and strength in God as well as each other. Being taken from their homeland to being herded like cattle to a new way of life. Don’t you think it would be tough going against the grain? Wouldn’t it be easier to give up? Maybe, give in? As we discussed in the last post, they choose to stand out. To eat only by the direction of the Lord. They needed each other.

“Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The power of friendship is stronger when doing life together. It’s not promised to be easy, but it is definitely worth it.

I’ve come across these friends in different churches, colleges, states, & even nations. Each having our own story of meeting, and this pursuit of relation. Never forsake the meeting of each other. That’s been a lesson I’ve learned the hard way, but also have reaped the joys of friendship.

“And the LORD God said, “ It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

While this scripture is directed towards the creation of Eve. We can take this as a standing point. We as humans were never meant to do life alone. It can be hard. Life, death, joys, sorrows; it can be too much for one person to take on.

Daniel found that to be true when he had to face the blade of death. Daniel 2, expresses the troubles of the king who had been tormented night after night. In efforts of relief, he called forth his advisors, magicians, and wise men. In the hopes of seeking an answer for this dream of his, all attempts failed. In desperation, the king issues a decree to either find an answer or find death. In the midst of this turmoil, the Lord found favor on his servants. Daniel was alerted to the situation then this follows.

“Then Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2:17-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This is a beautiful display of friendship. Find friends that will contend for you in prayer during your time of need. While all their lives were at stake, they chose to stay and contend. When it would have been easier to run. I wish I could go deeper into this topic of friendship, however, we’ll save that for another time.

In the end of this passage not only was Daniel promoted for correctly interpreting the king’s dream. But Daniel didn’t forget his friends. Daniel 2:49 shows how if you rise, they can rise with you. Don’t forget those who’ve helped you. As much as you have struggled in hard times, so can they. This is where you can be the friend you want to have. Can’t you imagine the view of this? These foreigners now ruling in the kingdom with power & position! The life they must have attained through obedience to the Lord and honoring each other.

This has been more of the perspective of going to the ground for a friend. Lightly skimmed, this may become a series in the future. But for now, the truth is, in these hard times you can find joy. Friendships don’t always get tested in the sense you’re going to die. However, that question lingers. Would you die for your friend? Are they adding value to your life? In this case, these men were and you see the cost.

In joy & honor of friendship, I wanted to share a big thank you to all my friends I’ve made in my journey. I haven’t always been the best friend. I haven’t always thought of others before myself. But when you open yourself to being vulnerable and it’s mutual, there is a bond you can’t explain that forms. It’s a bond that proves the test of time.

Speaking of tests! You’ll get really burnt up next week as we head into the fire.

In closing, I just want to thank you the reader. I’m leaving myself vulnerable to putting these posts out. However short or long they may be you continue to read. That means the world to me. I may never get to know you or even see you. So thank you. It’s blessing me more than you can imagine.

If you’ve found this enjoyable, please like, share! If you’ve got a testimony of how these posts are transforming your life, we’d love to hear that too! Until next time, peace & blessings!!

Marco Rice

Hello friends, I’m Marco. I’m an RN, & founder of Four Winds, a ministerial blog.

I have a heart for this generation to know who they are & whose they are. I also contend for revival to cover college campuses.  As well as preach the word until every nation has heard.  Sharing Jesus with all, & showing the love that was once shown me.