When Jonathan Edwards lay dying, he gave instructions
for his funeral to his daughter Lucy, and
after settling his affairs, he remarked, and asked
to my children, you are now like to
be left fatherless, which I hope will be
an inducement to you all to seek a
father who will never fail you.
Then, after leaving more messages for his absent
members of the family, he looked about and
said, now, where is Jesus of Nazareth, my
true and never failing friend?
And on March 22, 1758, Edwards left this
world at the age of 54 to go
be with his faithful friend, Jesus.
In John's Gospel in chapter 15 and verse
15, we read, henceforth, I call you not
servants, for the servant knoweth not what his
Lord doeth, but I have called you friends
for all things that I have heard of
my father I have made known unto you.
Jesus is a friend who can be counted
on.
He has never failed me, though other friends
have.
Jesus is a faithful friend who can be
relied upon in sunshine and in sorrow, in
prosperity and adversity.
No matter the trial you are under, he
will get you through.
Jesus is a faithful friend all the way
to the end.
We may disappoint him, but he won't ever
disappoint us.
I am reminded of a story about a
farmer and his dog.
The dog had been very useful to him,
but now it was getting old.
His master decided to get rid of him
by drowning him, taking the dog with him
to a large river near his farm.
He got to a boat and rowed out
to the deepest part.
Around the dog's neck he tied a cord
attached to a heavy stone.
Then he threw it into the water, and
the poor dog sank.
But the cord broke and rising to the
surface with a whine, he tried to get
into the boat again.
Unmoved, his master pushed him off a number
of times with an oar.
Finally, the farmer stood up in the boat,
intending to strike the dog a blow with
the oar that would send it to the
bottom of that cold river.
As he swung the oar, he lost his
footing, and he fell over into the water.
He could not swim and would have drowned.
But when the dog saw his master struggling
in the water, in spite of the cruel
treatment it had just received from him, it
swam up to him, caught hold of his
clothes, and brought him safe to land.
We can only hope that that farmer had
a change of heart and repaid his faithful
friend for saving his life by caring for
it the rest of its days.
I know the feeling.
I have a little dog, a little chihuahua,
and she loves to sit in my lap
and go wherever I go.
When there is someone at the door, she
barks to protect me.
She knows when I am sad and lonely,
and she comforts me.
She is a faithful friend.
But that little dog pales in comparison to
my true faithful friend Jesus.
He has never let me down, and he
will never, ever let me go.
He hung naked on a bloody cross for
sin, because he loved me and gave himself
for me.
He's been with me in my deepest griefs
and darkest hours.
His presence has always pulled me through.
He wants to be with me when no
one else does.
He comforts me when nobody else can.
Like the hymn says, he walks with me,
and he talks with me, and tells me
I'm his own.
And the joy we share as I tarry
there, no other I've ever known.