Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercesor is my friend.

--Job 16:19 & 20

Friend in a High Place

Last week another local pastor and I enjoyed 4 nights and 3 days in downtown Chicago at Moody Bible Institute's annual pastors' conference. It was a great time to worship with 1400 others and to be challenged by outstanding Christian leaders. But we almost missed out on the whole thing. Our registration in early March was returned to us stating that all conference lodging was filled and no more names would be added to the waiting list. However, just 4 days before the conference began, a friend of mine contacted someone she knew in "high places" at Moody. A room was found and we went to the conference. If it hadn't been for my friend, we would not have been there.

As Job, the Biblical character quoted above, struggled through a very difficult personal trial, he took comfort in the fact that he had an influential friend representing his concerns in the courts of heaven. We do not know how he knew this since his writings pre-date the New Testament. But in light of our knowledge about Jesus, Job's statement makes perfect sense. 1 John 2:1 tells us that Jesus is our advocate before God the Father. Hebrews calls him the great high priest who understands our weakness and intercedes for us. And Jesus himself explained that he was laying down his life as the love act of a friend (John 15:13). According to the Bible, those who acknowledge and trust Jesus own him as their heavenly intercessor-friend.

The immediate application of this reality to us is personal and positive. We are never alone or on our own. Whatever our situation or circumstance, we have a friend in heaven who understands our needs and pleads our cause before the loving, holy, all-powerful God. There is a personal comfort, security, and freedom for each of us in this knowledge as there was for Job.

I also encourage us to apply this truth as a congregation this summer -- that we together understand Jesus to be our intercessor-friend. In my time at Evangel, I do not recall our church moving into a summer with as much anticipated activity as we have this year. We have three major undertakings on our plate this summer and many smaller ones. The big ones are: 1) a 1-week visit of church consultant Joe Miller to help us finalize a master plan for our facilities 7/20-25; 2) the Marketplace 29 AD Vacation Bible School, 8/1-5; and 3) the goal of having a youth director in place by mid August. Each event includes advance preparation and follow-up. How does Jesus, the intercessor-friend, apply to all this? Well, we are the church of Jesus Christ and we want to live in dependence and in fellowship with him as we take important steps as a church body.

Whether in our personal lives or in our congregational life, one basic means for experiencing and benefiting from Jesus' friendship, is to speak with him through prayer. The song "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" makes that connection. One of its lines is "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!" I believe that the success of Evangel's ministry and, more importantly, our joy throughout this active summer, will be related to the friendship walk we have with Jesus.

-- Steve Wilson, Pastor