If you’re not sure who your real friends are, wait until your next crisis. Your acquaintances may disappear pretty quickly. But your real friends will keep showing up no matter what.

Did you know the Bible says that, even when people turn their backs on God, they still deserve to have friends? Job 6:14 says, “A friend should treat a troubled person kindly, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty” (GW).

The first thing everybody needs in a crisis is other people. You need a support group—mature Christian brothers and sisters who will love you, care for you, comfort you, encourage you, support you, meet your needs, and counsel you. That kind of person will gently steer you back to Jesus when life’s difficulties tempt you to abandon your faith.

That’s why I never stop talking about the importance of having close Christian friends you can count on. They might be a small group from your church or a few friends you study the Bible with or pray with regularly.

Build a safety network in your life so, when the rogue winds come, you have genuine friends who will be there for you. When a crisis happens, these are the first people you’ll turn to.

Maybe you’re thinking, “But wait a minute! Don’t you need to pray first in a crisis rather than turn to other people?” Well, yes, that’s great if you can. But the truth is that in a crisis you’re often in so much stress and shock that you don’t even know what to pray. It’s at that point that you need other people praying for you.

You need your real friends to say, “We’ll pray for you. We’ll believe for you. We’ll be there for you. No matter what.”

Choose to be a true friend to your Christian brothers and sisters in crisis today. And when you go through hard times, you’ll find yourself held up by those same people.