“That they all may be one…” John 17:21
Jesus prayed for believers in John 17, asking the Father to make us one with each other, one with Him and one with the Father. Becoming one is covenant talk. A covenant is a union between two or more parties. In regard to a friendship covenant, the relationship is not merely put together for the sake of unity, but because of a genuine friendship love. A friend is someone that you deeply care about, someone that you have chosen to share your life with.
Friendship love is exchanged when two people share their time, their concerns, their dreams and their experiences. They talk about what is going on beneath the surface of daily activities, expressing what they are feeling to one another. They share their struggles as well as their celebrations. There are times when they laugh together, and there are times when they cry together. Covenant friends support one another, encourage one another and build each other up. If one of the friends is in need, the other friend will do whatever is necessary to help lift that friend back up to a position of strength and wholeness.
When you have a covenant friend, your souls become tied together in a close friendship. You are attached to one another because love has knit your hearts together. Colossians 2:2 “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love…”
In Ecclesiastes 4:12, it compares friendship to a triple-braided cord, a relationship that does not easily break or come apart. A close friendship has formed because two people have chosen to go through both good and bad times together. Their shared experiences make their friendship covenant stronger.
A true friend sticks closer than a brother. We stick – we are glued to one another; we are welded together. Friendship is God’s idea. Friends help us through life by walking through it together in unity and love.
Application: If there is a breach in a covenant friendship, it hurts. It tears at the heart because oneness has been compromised. You can’t override someone else’s choices, but as it is possible, avoid separation and be quick to reconcile your friendships. They are worth it.