Who is in your Inner Circle?

But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.” “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry.  - Judges 11:37-38

Who is in your inner circle? In Judges 11:37-38, we find that Jephthah's daughter had such close friends that they went into the hills with her for two months to mourn the fact that she would never marry. If we read the chapter, we'll find that she would never marry because she would, in fact, be a sacrifice to the Lord on behalf of her father's victory over the Ammonites. If one of your closest friends asked you to join her for two months on a trip with some other friends, most of us would be more than happy to get away for eight weeks! However, would you be willing to accompany your friend on a two month trip into the wilderness to cry with her and mourn her young life's eminent end? If we were to accompany a friend, would we urge her not to return to her father to be sacrificed? Would we talk about the unfairness of life, and curse her father for his promise to God? I dare say most of us would not support Jephthah's daughter in her choice to return to her father.

We all have friends, some of us have many, and some of us have few. However, we all have an "inner circle" as well; a group of friends that we feel a special bond to, and know that we can turn to them for support when times are good and bad. Many times, we don't communicate regularly with those special friends, but we know they're there no matter what. When we think of our inner circle of friends, are those friends mostly positive or negative in nature? Do they help you find the bright side of situations, or are they always looking for someone to blame situations on? Do your inner circle friends hold you accountable when you are doing something unwise? Basically, ask yourself if your inner circle of friends make you feel better or worse after a conversation with them. If it's worse, then maybe it's time to reconsider your "inner circle." 

Jephthah's daughter was blessed with a very strong inner circle. Although the Bible tells us nothing about her friends, we can make some assumptions based on the actions of those involved. We can assume that the friends were positive, supportive, caring, empathetic, and held her accountable to God. We can safely guess that Jephthah's daughters friends cried and mourned with her, not for her death exactly, but because she would never marry. The friends also made sure that she was held accountable most importantly to God and her earthly father. We can be sure that none of the friends were urging her to escape and not return home, or they would not have made the journey. The friends were so close that they physically felt her pain, and spent two months grieving with her, and preparing her to pass on to her eternal life. They knew that God was a power stronger than any of them, and that doing his will, even in death, was the most important thing she would ever do.

Thank the Lord that Jesus was born, and gave us a new way of life, rid of sacrifices and the old law. We will most likely never have to comfort a friend who will be sacrificed by her father to the Lord. However, we need to ensure that our inner circle of friends would be as strong and dedicated as Jephthah's daughter's friends. Our inner circle influence us, and can be detrimental to our walk with God. If our inner circle of friends aren't Christians, that doesn't mean they cannot continue to be in the "circle," but it does mean that we have to remain dedicated firstly to God, and that friendship should not come between our relationship with the Lord at any time. If it's truly an inner circle friendship, the friend will be supportive of you, and understand that your walk with Christ comes before your walk with her/him. 

Building a strong inner circle isn't easy. You will be betrayed, ignored, and lose many friendships along the way. However, your inner circle is worth the hassle and heartache. When you have not one, but several friends that share your love for the Lord, and understand your walk with Him, then you can be sure that life will become easier. Use your friendships to build yourself up, not tear yourself or others down when something bad happens. 

Most importantly, remember that Jesus is your most trusted friend, and you should have Him in your inner circle. He should be the first one you turn to during good or bad, and be a trusted advisor. He will guide your path, and make your steps great. He will hold you accountable to do good and love others at all times. He will listen and know your heart....even better than you know yourself. If you ask Him, He will guide you to find other earthly friends who will be part of your inner circle. 

I have found a friend in Jesus, He's everything to me. He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. The Lily of the valley, in Him alone I see, all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole. In sorrow He's my comfort, in trouble, he's my stay. He tells me every care on him to roll. He's the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star, He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.  - Charles Fry (1881)

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Dear God, thank you for friends. Thank you for blessing me with an earthly inner circle, who I know is there in thick and thin, and will always love me no matter how far I fall, or how high I fly. Thank you for sending Jesus, who is my constant companion, and is with me at all times, watching over me, and loving me as His inner circle of friends as well. Thank you for the support I have been shown by my friends just in the first day of publishing these devotions, and please continue to help me reach out to many others in their times of need. Please bless us all, and help us to build a strong inner circle, always including you. In the name of Jesus    - Amen