Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Today’s post is in memory of and in honor of my dear friend, Tim Olander.  There are many things I could say about how Tim influenced and impacted my life in very positive ways. One of those ways was our weekly Wednesday morning breakfast. We met weekly to pray and talk about the important matters of life before going to work. It wasn’t always convenient, but Tim was a faithful friend. If I had a need, he prayed. As I was thinking about this, I came upon a passage in Job.

Job’s friends were not good friends. God was not pleased with the way his friends had spoken about Him. But God knew that Job would pray for his friends. God was prepared to respond to the prayer Job would offer. God had something in store for Job as well. Prayer changes people and God is pleased to answer above what we ask or think. Tim prayed for me, and it is difficult for me to know how his prayers made a difference in my life. But he spoke to the One who made me grow in becoming more like my Savior, and I am certain his prayers were powerful. The prayers of a righteous man who lives by faith are powerful. Tim was a man of faith and his faith was living faith in the righteousness he was given by the work of his Savior. Romans 1:17b says, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

James 5:16 says “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

“After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: ‘My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.’ 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” – Job 42:7-10

Do you want to be a good friend? Pray for your friend. Tim prayed for his friends.