Friendship
Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, "The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.' " —1 Samuel 20:42
If we were to list the admirable characteristics portrayed in the story of David, some of the finest would be found in David’s friend and confidant, Jonathan. Throughout the up and down relationship between David and Saul, Jonathan is constant. A brave and faithful warrior himself, Jonathan declares his loyalty to David after David’s defeat of Goliath, establishing a covenant between them and even handing David his robe, his belt and his sword. His soul is bound to David’s (1 Samuel 18:1); his allegiance to his friend is sincere and unwavering.
Perhaps one of the most notable markers of Jonathan’s deep and steadfast affection is his willingness to get involved. This is no relationship of mere convenience, no passing fair-weather friendship that dissolves when circumstances change. More than once he speaks to his father, trying to calm the king’s terrible anger and convince him that David is friend rather than foe. In the end, this proves dangerous for Jonathan: Saul will not be swayed and turns on Jonathan for siding with the house of Jesse against his own.
Ours is a faith founded on relationship—relationship between ourselves and the divine and amongst one another. In Jonathan we see what faithfulness looks like in friendship, what devotion can require of us, and how difficult it may be to remain true. Yet all who have had a “Jonathan” in their life can attest that, though rare and perhaps challenging, genuine friendship is indeed a gift of God.
A Blessing for Friends
Gracious God, I ask your blessing on all my friends who have given of their own heart and soul to deepen and strengthen my own. I pray especially for those who have walked alongside me when I have not been a faithful friend myself. When I feel alone, remind me that my friends are one of your greatest gifts of grace to me. Let me be to them what they are to me. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
—from Prayers for Living
But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. —Ruth 1:16
The true way and the sure way to friendship is through humility.— Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Why are other people important to my personal relationship with God? Great question! No one can be a Christian alone . . . just like God is not God alone. We depend on others for our salvation, and the greatest other is God. And the reason God is not God alone is because Christians believe that God is three persons in one nature.
—Michael Battle
excerpted from The Way to Peace
A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
— Victor Frankl
Man's Search For Meaning
Who are those friends who have believed in you, carried you emotionally when you were stuck, frozen, unable to act? God honors such friendships and uses that kind of faithfulness to bring healing and strength. When have you been a supportive friend for another? Encouraging, helping out, believing when there was cause for despair. When have you helped carry another's burden?
Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. —Kahlil Gibran
I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. —John 15:15
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. —Proverbs 27:9
I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light. — Helen Keller
"Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."
"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing."
— E.B. White
Charlotte's Web
A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity. — Proverbs 17:17
