FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES, Alexis A. Goring

Friends in High Places: 

My Reflections inspired by the song

Clouds: pixabay.com

A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” – Psalm 20:7 (NIV) 

There’s a song that Larnelle Harris, a gospel music artist, sings that inspires me to this day.

The song’s title is “Friends in High Places.” In this song, Harris talks about how he has hope in troubled times, a reason to smile when he’s sad, friends who uplift his spirit when he’s feeling depressed, and he talks about how they watch over him everywhere he goes.

At first, you might think he’s singing about his closest human friends here on Earth. But as the song continues, you find out that he’s talking about God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and The Holy Spirit. He’s also talking about God’s Angels (Hebrews 1:14) and how his friends are all in high places but yet so close to him in his life experiences.

The first time I heard these lyrics was through the beautiful singing voice of an upperclassman named Porsche during our weekly Chapel program offered through our private, Christian academy (high school).

On that day, Porsche provided the special music for the chapel service. The main lyrics of the song stuck with me: “I’ve got friends in high places.”

She was singing about God being our Friend in the Highest Place (Heaven) and speaking to the fact that He has our best interest at heart.

This song returned to my mind several years ago in my adult life, when I worked as a reporter for a newspaper. My former colleague Tiffany, who at the time was new to Journalism, asked me how I’m not nervous when I’m interviewing famous people at city council. She gushed about how they were all like celebrities in high places and wanted to know how I managed to maintain composure and professionalism without being awestruck and speechless.

I told her about that song “Friends in High Places” and reminded her that as believers (because she too was a believer in God), we have the Ultimate Friend in High Places. His name is God and He has our back!

I talked about how knowing this fact helped me to keep things in perspective because we’re all humans whether we are famous or not and we all deserve respect. I don’t look at it as interviewing a celebrity; I look at it as interviewing a fellow human. I approach each interview with looking them straight in the eye, showing a warm smile and giving them the respect that they deserve.

I don’t spend too much time thinking about their status or fame. I just try my best to implement Luke 6:31 (a Bible verse that is also known as “The Golden Rule”), which tells us to treat others how we want to be treated, and I do my best to maintain professionalism in all cases.

The Bible says in Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV), to work like you’re working for God, not man. This helps me to remember that we’re all mankind, no matter what our status. We all need Jesus! And the beautiful truth is that God wants to be our friend. How remarkable is it that the Creator (God) of the Universe wants to be your friend?

An old church saying goes, “God sits up High (in Heaven) and lives down Low (on Earth),” which means that He did not set this world in motion then leave us to figure out everything for ourselves. No! God created our world and stayed in the picture! The Bible says that God is Omnipresent, which means He is everywhere at all times. He knows everything and sees everything. Nothing is hidden from Him and no one escapes His watchful eye. God cares about everything that affects us and He can handle our honesty, so we shouldn’t be afraid to speak to Him about anything!

We are free to be open and honest with God as we talk to Him about everything because He already knows what’s on our hearts even before we speak. But He doesn’t condemn us. The Bible tells us that we can confess our sins and be forgiven by Him (1 John 1:9) then He remembers our sins no more (Psalm 103:12). However, that is not an excuse to keep on sinning! God wants us to be faithful to Him and that means turning away from our sins (Proverbs 28:13) and living according to His Word (The Holy Bible).

Another point that the song reminds me of is when we as mere mortals are in trouble here on Earth, we feel comforted when we know that we have “friends in high places” who can take care of us by “pulling the strings” and solving our dilemmas.

But even if we have friends in high places here on Earth, we still need to remember that they are only human and at the end of the day they can only do so much!

Humans cannot save our souls! Only God can do that through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Open The Holy Bible to the Book of John and read about the free gift of salvation offered to us all, thanks to Jesus!

Let’s not forget our Greatest Friend (God) in the highest of places (Heaven). He is Lord over all. May we remember that only Jesus can truly save us!

Author Bio: Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.