What to Say to Encourage Friends

From the sound of her voice, her friend knew some-thing was wrong. And without being asked, she immediately came over. They knew each other so well, they hardly needed words. But the one explained as the other just listened, and both cried together as they shouldered this burden together. What a sacred, safe place in each other God had given them! 

And so it is with strong friendship—not the casual kind that sprouts up and withers according to the season, but the kind that transcends time and place...the ones that pick back up wherever you last left off as if no time had ever come between you. While all friends are gifts from God, our closest companions help us experience the depth and beauty of God better than any other created thing in this world. 

But forging such friendships takes time, persistence, and intentional interactions to build a solid and lasting foundation. And if you’re united by God’s Spirit, the bond will never be broken—for all eternity! Take time today to thank God for your friends and search out ways you can bless their lives with God’s Word to strengthen and support them in their day today. 

Life-Giving Words for Encouraging Friends 

I am a friend to all who fear You, to those who keep Your precepts. PSALM 119:63  

Our love for Jesus unites us with a bond that can never be broken. 

One with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother. PROVERBS 18:24  

Thank you for always being there for me. If it weren’t for you and the Lord, I don’t know what I’d do. 

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. PROVERBS 17:17  

When everyone else left me, you stayed. You are a rare and true friend. 

Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. GALATIANS 6:2  

Something’s weighing you down. You can trust me. Tell me what’s troubling you and let me share the load. 

Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. PROVERBS 27:17  

You help me see and consider things I never would notice on my own.