Message: In 1 Samuel 23 Saul’s instability spiraled out of control and his insecurity fed his paranoia into a tunnel vision obsession over David. David went to fight a battle in spite of being pursued by Saul, yet when Saul found out where he was his only concern was using the battle to kill David. He chased David all over the wilderness but God didn’t allow Saul to take him out. In the middle of all this Jonathan renewed his covenant with David again. As I thought about this I thought about the incredible friendship between them. David was clearly marked by God for big things, but he was going through tremendous opposition. The opposition was so strong that anyone would have been tempted to question the legitimacy of it all. While David seemed to be trying to continue doing what he always did, he was being constantly watched and pursued. Instead of going into permanent hiding, he protected his parents and continued on. When I read about the renewed covenant with Jonathan I thought about how powerful that was. We all need someone to stand with us during opposition and having a loyal friend like Jonathan would have been life breathing. As I read this I thought of someone in my own life who has walked with me through so much opposition. She encouraged me, pushed me, cried with me and supported me through some of the hardest things I ever had to go through. We all need someone like this in our lives, and we should all BE this to someone else. Today I thank the Lord for this incredible friend and I ask God to help me be that kind of friend.
