The Most Friends of All

Larry was a high school student with no friends - his only friend was his dad, both of whom were devout Christians. His dad prayed for Larry to someday have more friends than anyone in his class. Larry often spent time during the school day reading his Bible, which seemed to push people away. His dad passed away from a fatal heart attack while Larry was in HS and fortunately, this pushed Larry deeper into a relationship with God. Larry eventually ended up with his own family, and when he was 37 he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and invited to his reunion. He declined the reunion but asked his classmates to pray for him. The response and support from his classmates was overwhelming - Larry ended up getting better and going to his class reunion. Two years later, he passed away and at his funeral there was standing room only - his dad's prayer came true.

The story in the Bible is about Daniel and three others from a kingdom overtaken by the Babylonians. These four men were taken into Babylonia to be trained to enter into the King's service. Meanwhile, they were to eat the royal food. The four men requested to eat their own food to not be defiled with the royal food. The asked to be tested for 10 days - eating vegetables and drinking water - if they looked healthier than the other men, they would be allowed to continue eating their food. They ended up being the smartest of all the men and were hired into the King's service.

The link between these two stories is that the men stuck to their beliefs. Larry continued to read the Bible - even though he was being persecuted and Daniel ate the food of his beliefs. God rewarded them both - Larry with more friends than he ever thought he'd have and Daniel with a job in King's service. And both acted as a witness for the Lord. Both brought believers to God.