VICAR
Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that you are well. I have been thinking, this week, about the friends who have walked beside us on the road. Not the acquaintances we nod to at the shop, nor the names in our address books that we never call—but the true friends, the ones who know us as we are and love us still. The ones who have sat with us in the dark hours and shared our joy in the bright ones. The ones who ask nothing of us but our company, and give us everything in return. In a world that grows more hurried and more distant, these friendships are anchors. They hold us fast when the storms come.
So today, a prayer for friends old and new—for the ones we have known a lifetime, and the ones we have yet to meet.
Dear Lord,
We thank You for the gift of friendship. For the companions who have walked beside us through the years. For the ones who knew us when we were young, and the ones who have come to know us since. For every hand that has reached out to us in kindness, we give You thanks.
We thank You for the friends of childhood. For the ones who shared our first adventures, our first scraped knees, our first heartbreaks. For the ones who knew our parents and our childhood homes, and who remember us as we once were. Even if the years have separated us, let the bond remain. Let the memories be sweet.
We thank You for the friends who have stood by us in hard times. For the ones who came without being asked, who sat with us in silence when words were not enough, who wept with us and prayed for us and refused to let us face the darkness alone. They are Your hands and feet, Lord. Bless them abundantly.
We thank You for the friends who make us laugh. For the ones who know our sense of humour and share it. For the ones who can tease us without wounding us, and who can lift our spirits with a single word or a well-timed joke. Laughter is Your gift, and they are its messengers.
We thank You for the friends who challenge us. For the ones who tell us the truth when we would rather not hear it. For the ones who hold us to a higher standard and refuse to let us settle for less than our best. They are Your voice, Lord, and they make us better.
We thank You for the friends who have grown old with us. For the ones who have shared our seasons—our youth and our middle years, our joys and our sorrows. For the ones who have seen us at our worst and loved us anyway. For the ones who will be with us, God willing, to the very end.
We pray for those who are lonely. For the ones who have no one to call a friend. For the ones who have outlived their companions and whose days are silent. For the ones who are new to the area and have yet to find their place. Send them a friend, Lord. Send them someone who will see them and love them and walk beside them. Let no one be alone.
We pray for friendships that have been broken. For the arguments that were never mended and the misunderstandings that were never cleared. For the distance that has grown between two souls who once were close. Soften our hearts, Lord. Give us the courage to reach out, the humility to apologise, and the grace to forgive. Let no friendship be lost for want of a word.
We pray for those who find it hard to make friends. For the shy and the anxious, the awkward and the uncertain. For the ones who feel they do not fit in. Lead them to kindred spirits, Lord. Lead them to places where they will be welcomed. Lead them to the people who will see the gifts they carry.
We pray for our own hearts. Make us good friends, Lord. Make us loyal and honest, generous and kind. Make us quick to listen and slow to judge. Make us present in the hard times and humble in the good. Let us be the kind of friend that we would wish to have.
And finally, Lord, we thank You for the greatest friendship of all—the friendship You offer us. You call us not servants, but friends. You walk with us, You listen to us, You love us without condition. Let us never take that gift for granted. And let our friendships here on earth be a reflection of Your friendship with us.
For friends are the family we choose, and the treasure that money cannot buy. Let us cherish them, and let us give thanks for them, this day and always.
Amen.
God Bless You All.
Photograph: St James Church, Shere