# Prayer for Friendship and Our Friendship with God
*2008-07-26*

> Bill Young reflects on the many kinds of friendships we have, especially our relationship with God, and shares a beautiful prayer for friendship written by Vienna Cobb Anderson.

## Friendship in Everyday Life

I think about the friendships that fill our lives—my good friend John, who is currently ill and in my prayers; colleagues at work dealing with job and family challenges; friends from school and childhood. We have all sorts of relationships, each with its own joys and struggles.

## Friendship with God as a Two‑Way Conversation

A true friendship is a two‑way communication. With God, we are constantly talking—praying for ourselves, for others, asking for help. But do we also listen? God often speaks through people, circumstances, or even a simple moment. I recall a coworker enjoying a Krispy Kreme donut and suddenly thinking of the hungry in Africa. She later forgot the exact words, yet the message was still there. We must stay attentive, because God can speak to us through a friend, a coworker, or a stranger.

## A Prayer for Friendship

You have blessed us, O God, with the gift of friendship—a bond of persons in a circle of love. We thank you for friends who share our sorrows, laugh with us in celebration, bear our pain, and need us as we need them. May we weep when they weep, rejoice when they rejoice, and find the freedom to be ourselves. Bless our friends with health, wholeness, life, and love. Amen.

*Friendship with God calls us to both speak and listen, so we may hear His voice in every relationship.*