In dedication to my own best friend, Liz. I hope we have a lifetime of laughter, prayers, and shared burdens.
Dear God,
Thank You for Your friendship. You are the perfect example of a good friend. You love at all time. You are always patient. You are always kind. You listen to our troubles. You wash away our sins. You are a good Father and friend to Your children. Please teach us how to be friends to one another.
Love,
Grace
I have been hotly debating what blog I wanted to write this week, but I found myself drawn to the topic of friendship last night. I had opened my bible to 1 Samuel 14 which talked about Jonathan defeating the Philistines.
For context, Jonathan was the son of Saul, the king of Israel. Israel was being attacked by the Philistines, and they were in the midst of a standoff. While Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree, Jonathan had decided to sneak off with his armor bearer to check out the enemy.
What Jonathan says next amazes me: “Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
But what his armor-bearer responds with amazes me just as much:
“Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
Two young men alone with the entire camp of their enemy against them. This wasn’t about macho pridefulness. This was pure confidence in God. Jonathan wasn’t even sure if this was what God wanted him to do, but it wasn’t about what he could do. It’s about what God was able to do with two willing people. It’s about how God cannot be stopped. “Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf” and Jonathan was willing to die on that hill.
That the Lord would be willing to move if they believed and took action.
The fact that the armor-bearer was there didn’t mean much to me at first. Jonathan was son of the king and commander, not much to argue with! But the way the armor-bearer responded was radical. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
Do you know how powerful that is? It wasn’t just him showing up by his buddy’s side. He trusted Jonathan as a friend and a leader. He trusted God. He could’ve said “Sure” or “I’ll go” but that didn’t mean his heart and soul were with him.
What an amazing testimony of Jonathan’s friendship with the armor-bearer. True to God, the story goes:
Jonathan wasn’t reckless in this case. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to move when no one else was moving. To go when everyone else was sitting around waiting for something to happen. He decided he would make something happened, and what an amazing testimony that God gave him to a friend who believed in his vision.
We all need an armor-bearer in our lives. Someone who sees exactly who God called us to be even when everyone sees our failures and past mistakes. Someone who dreams with you even if all the odds are against you (20 v 2 doesn’t sound very fun). Someone who is with you not just in the physical sense but in heart and soul.
But at the same time, are you an armor-bearer? Do you take that risk for others? Do you mean it when you believe in their healing and actually sacrifice to see it happen? What would you give to see your friend’s victory? The armor-bearer didn’t just stand on the sidelines cheering. He was back to back with Jonathan. Are you a friend like that to someone?
I think about the trust they needed to have long before that. Past battles. Past victories and even failures. But Jonathan brought this armor-bearer for a reason. He wasn’t going to run away when things got hard. He wasn’t afraid to believe and have crazy faith. He was going to risk it all with his friend because of a greater purpose.
God does that. He makes great men and women who need each other for greater friendship. God empowers normal people to become loving, encouraging, and powerful friends.
When Jonathan later meets David, his father’s rival to the throne, he sees a brother. David had been a lowly shepherd boy, youngest of eight, and chosen by God to be the next king. Do you know what that means? Jonathan wouldn’t be king. Jonathan’s children wouldn’t have the throne.
And you know what Jonathan did? Loved David like himself. He defended David’s honor to his father. He helped David run away when his father eventually tried to kill him.
Jonathan’s friendships weren’t shallow. They were based on God’s will and God’s desires. He based his decision to risk his life based on the fact that God might help them and if God was on their side then anything was possible. When he met David, instead of letting jealousy get the best of him, he supported David at the risk of his own life and his father’s disapproval.
Jonathan is an amazing man not because of his status as a prince or military victories. Jonathan as a man and as a friend won favor in the eyes of his companions, friends, and God.
I hope that I marry someone with a heart like Jonathan! I pray I raise my future son to be a friend like Jonathan. What an amazing man of God.
God used Jonathan in mighty ways. Even though his own father remained faithless, Jonathan was faithful to the end. He even died in battle next to his father.
I hope that we all find friends like Jonathan and become a friend like him too. Yet our perfect example of a friend is Jesus who laid down His life for others. Jonathan is only a glimpse of the true friendship Christ has on hand, readily available, and freely given to us. I pray that You would accept his forgiveness, affections, and friendship.
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