Through Thick and Thin

Most people, if not all, have at least one friend; they may vary in age; some are closer than others. But there are friends in particular that you feel a bond with, sometimes instantly when you meet, or a bond that forms over time spent together. Your spirit and theirs share a God-formed connection that time, circumstances, or distance cannot break.

Johnathan was King Saul's eldest son, the prince next in line to Israel's throne, and a commander in Saul's army—a seasoned soldier. David was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons, a teenage shepherd, yet earlier, God told Samuel to anoint him as Israel's next king (1 Sam 16). Jonathan heard young David accept Goliath's challenge (the same one Saul's army feared to respond to) and watched as he bravely defeated the giant in the name of the Lord. From that day, the king had David serve in his army. The two shared a unique friendship; the Bible states that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David (1 Sam 18:1). When he gave David his robe, ring, and armor, Jonathan acknowledged David as Israel's next king. Though David was a boy, Jonathan saw a man who had a heart for God. But Saul was soon disturbed by their unique friendship; his prideful soul burned with jealousy and hatred against David. And though the two had to part ways because of Saul, their hearts stayed united.

"A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Prov 18:24). Friendliness begets friends; if you want a friend, be a friend—but choose friends wisely. Some "friends" hang around as long as the friendship benefits them; genuine friends are not self-seeking and superficial. Jonathan could have thought of himself above David, and David could have considered himself beneath Jonathan. But they didn't; they recognized and accepted that God ordained their lasting bond of friendship. Our Father does the same for you and me when we let Him.