1 Samuel 23

Scripture1 Samuel 23:16And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.Observation - What does it say?David and his men continued to find themselves on the run for their lives from King Saul and his army. While David was hiding in the desert, his friend Jonathan traveled to him and helped him find strength in God.Understanding - What does it mean?We all need a Jonathan.Jonathan made the long journey across the desert to find David and help him find strength in God. He encouraged David not to be afraid reminded David of his destiny. We all need friends to surround us in our time of need, when we’re tired and discouraged. That’s one reason why I’m so thankful for our church family! We don’t need friends who will go buy us a drink so we can escape our situation. We need friends who will point us to Jesus!Not only do we need Jonathans in our life, but we need to be Jonathans to each other.When we have friends that are struggling, it can be tempting to avoid them. When you’re looking to have a good time, no one wants to invite Negative Nancy or Debby Downer. But when you look at Jesus you see that the gospel is all about moving toward the hurting, the struggling and the ones everyone else avoids.How easy is it for us to go to our friends and help them find strength in God? Jonathan had to make a long journey in the hot sun. All we have to do is send a text, make a phone call or take a short drive over to their house.Life ApplicationWho am I surrounding myself with who can encourage me to find strength in God? (If you don't have a good answer for this, I encourage you to consider participating in a GROW Group!)Who do I know that is struggling? How can I encourage to find strength in God? 

God, thank you for surrounding me with some awesome men and women who love you and who are always there to support me. Show me, show us, the people in our lives who need some encouragement and show us how you want us to encourage them today. Amen.

 

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- Levi Thompson