Hello Advent Family,

Do you have people in your life who you know have your back no matter what?  People that you know will not let you fail.  It is a blessing and comfort to have people like that.  People who will walk through life with you, encourage you, challenge you, and be with you through your highs and lows.  David and Jonathan had a relationship like this.  David could trust Jonathan to determine if his life was safe with King Saul or not (turns out it wasn’t).Let’s look at one such account of this found in I Samuel 20.

Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. 18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”

It is of great comfort to know that whatever challenge we face in life God is with us through thick and thin.  It is also a blessing to have others walk through life’s journey as well.  Sometimes people like that are hard to find.  I encourage you, be that type of person for others.  When you are that type of person you inevitably attract others to be that for you in your life as well.  Be a Jonathan to the David’s in your life and soon you will find that others will have your back as well.  Life is better together. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave