The Gift of Faithful Friendship

My husband just rolled his eyes and then said in jest that he was going upstairs to pack my bags because I was surely going to need them for my trip down memory lane.

A very close friend from childhood was in town visiting, and I was excited about seeing her again. Although outwardly, we were now “thirty something,” inwardly, we were still two high school girls. As soon as we saw each other again, our conversation came as natural as breathing, and the weight of motherhood, marriage and caregiving lifted as fresh air filled my soul, rejuvenating my suffocating spirit.

Perhaps you have a friend like this—the one who was with you during those awkward tween years and throughout the storm and stress of adolescence. The friend who witnessed your yo-yo diets and plethora of emotions as you started a new job, walked down the aisle and had your first child—yes, the one who stood by you, through thick and thin.

One of my favorite Bible stories is that of the friendship between David and Jonathan. David was a young shepherd whom God had chosen to be the future king of Israel, and Jonathan was the son of the current king, Saul. With a front-row seat into the depth of their friendship, our key verse reveals, “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” 1 Samuel 18:1 (ESV).

My great-grandmother loved to knit. One day she noticed that the blanket she had knitted for my daughter was lying on a shelf so she asked me why it wasn’t being used. I explained to her that out of fear that it would unravel if washed, I had set it aside for safekeeping. Picking up the blanket, she showed me how each piece was woven into the next and assured me that the threads were tightly knit together, making it nearly impossible for them to unravel.

The Bible says that Jonathan and David’s souls were knit together. What a strong bond those two shared! Moreover, Jonathan went one step further, claiming he loved David even more than he loved himself. How many times have we ever made such a declaration, to actually love a friend more than ourselves? Oh, we may exclaim, “I love this girl!” or quip, “Love ya!” at the end of a text, but do we really love so strongly that we’d forgo our own comfort or security for the betterment of a friend, even our best friend?

That is exactly what Jonathan was willing to do for David and indeed, did. He knew that his father’s jealousy had fueled his desire to kill David. 1 Samuel 18 reveals the lengths that Jonathan took to protect David, “ushering him from his father’s house “ (v3) and “giving him his robe, armor, and even his sword” (v4). Jonathan was in line to sit upon the throne; however, upon handing his royal robe to David, he acknowledged and accepted that the Lord had chosen David, not himself, to succeed his father as the next king of Israel. Humility, obedience, and self-sacrifice in action.

Samuel recounts how Jonathan shielded David from the danger of Saul’s deep resentment on numerous occasions. He warned David about his father’s plans, supplied him with weapons and provided David an invaluable resource—encouragement. To say that Jonathan had David’s back is an understatement.

Despite their strong bond of friendship and the risks and sacrifices he made for David, Jonathon chose to remain with his father instead of fleeing with David. Subsequently, when the king later went into battle against the Philistines—those same enemies of God from whom Goliath hailed and David defeated in his youth—Saul and his sons were slain. Eventually, David became the rightful king of Israel, and he kept his promise to show loyalty and kindness to the household of his fallen, beloved friend, the one he called his brother, Jonathan.

How thankful I am to have been blessed with a friendship akin to that of Jonathan and David’s. But, even on the best of days, it does not compare to a relationship with the constant companion and perfect friend, Jesus. He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother (or sister). Unlike earthly friends, the Lord never abandons us; He loves us unconditionally, laying down His life for ours so we can be with Him throughout eternity.