God sometimes comforts us in our discouragement through friends. I remember a particularly difficult Friday evening when I was in college. Just as I was throwing myself a pity party, I received word that my chairman of deacons Roy Hudson had gone into the hospital with a serious heart problem. I loaded up in my AMC Matador and headed forty miles down I-35 to Scott and White hospital to pray with him and his wife Florine before his surgery. I wondered how I could be of help to them when I was so down.
When Paul left Athens, he might well have been discouraged. Numerical success eluded Paul and his ministry in Athens. Upon arriving in Corinth, he met Aquila and Priscilla. These fellow-servants would become some of his very best friends through the years. Sharing with them in their work of tent-making, Paul became a bi-vocational preacher, sharing Christ in the synagogue on the sabbath. Living in the shelter of new friends, Paul exercised his gift in a new city.
After hearing about Roy’s heart problems, I poured out my broken heart to these dear friends. They comforted and encouraged me more that day than I did them. When I least expected help, God sent it to me through his people. From Abraham to Moses to David and Elijah, we learn that God’s people are not immune from depression and discouragement. Time and again, in my own life, God has sent his people to give the help I needed in the moment. This is what we do in the body of Christ. We live life in the shelter of each other.
