No matter who you are, we all need a friend.
1 Kings 4:5 "Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend."
Even the wisest man to ever live, King Solomon, needed a friend. I wonder if Zabud was a good one. Did he let King Solomon just be a man with him—normal, upset, silly, imperfect? Did he speak the truth in love when King Solomon started to marry strange wives and build stables (which was against God's laws Duet. 17:15-17)?
I always thought it was sad for the wisest man on earth to have misapplied his wisdom so much. He let his wives turn his heart away from God. I wonder if Zabud tried to warn him?
Yes, we all need at least one good friend, but being a good friend isn't easy. How do you befriend a king? They aren't known for humility or listening to advice, especially if they already know right thing to do and just don't want to do it. In today's world, it might be a celebrity that needs a good friend, a pastor, missionary's kid, a boss, an author, a singer, someone in government, you name it. Just because someone is wise, popular, or in authority doesn't mean they don't need a friend, a good one.
Zabud was named and counted in the Bible, but I recently heard of a man who was unnamed. His brother was a famous missionary, known and celebrated worldwide. But the famous brother was only there through the sacrifice of his nameless brother who worked two jobs in order to support him through college. What a tasking, thankless job. Did the nameless brother ever become bitter, wish for recognition, wish for a break?
It's not easy to be popular or looked up to, neither is it easy to befriend such a person. Yet, we all need someone to laugh with, be ourselves with, tell us we're doing it wrong, give us encouragement when we've completely messed up, praise us when we get it right, find the silver lining in our dark clouds, and just be there without needing something from us. Someone to pray for us.
Everyone needs a friend, but it's not always easy. Are you willing to be a good friend, there for them not yourself?
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