Friendship is an important concept in the Bible. We don’t often think about it as we rush through the Scriptures, but it is one of the bedrocks of God’s will for His people.
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
Abraham is referred to as a “friend of God” in Scripture (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23). Jesus told His followers that they were no longer slaves, but His friends if they do what He asked of them. Even George Washington admonished people not to attempt to have many friends – just a few handpicked ones that were “well-tried.”
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” James 15:14-15
For 48 years, A Company of Women CEO Rosalie Storment was my friend. She introduced me to Jesus in 1976. We spent virtually every moment of free time together- at her bookstore in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on the phone in long distance conversations when she moved to Hawaii, and times of heartache for us both when she moved back to North Idaho in 1992. Rosalie, me, and her other special heart friend Robin Jeanne Parks knew well the statement of friendship in the Bible – we lived it with her. We cried together, laughed together, and began the ministry of A Company of Women International together.
Rosalie never wavered in her love of God. Through tears of heartbreak, or the hope of a husband that lived in her spirit, she loved Him with her whole being. She married Robert Storment in 2005, the epitome of prophetic fulfillment.
“Around the corner hid from view, a new companion sparkling new…” Stormy literally lived around the corner from Rosalie.
When the dreaded disease of Alzheimer’s began to take her from us, she maintained the underlying faith that she was ready to go to Him whenever He chose. In early January 2024, she passed into His loving arms … as His friend.
We are all called to be friends of God. We can only do that by loving Him and doing what He asks. His requests aren’t terrible, after all, He promised that His “yoke is light.” We all go through tough times, from sickness to finances to relationships. But remembering to talk to Him, to listen for His directions is the key to staying His friends.
I will miss my friend Rosalie, but as her friends, we all have the precious knowledge that she is with our Savior. She was the living, breathing picture of friendship.