READ: 1 Samuel 18-20
THINK: The great English thinker and novelist G.K. Chesterton once wrote a book entitled: The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare. It is the story of a detective who goes undercover to infiltrate an anarchist group that is committed to doing great harm to society and causing massive chaos. This assignment horrifies the detective and he struggles greatly with the weight of his assignment because he feels like he is alone, like he is the only one fighting the good fight against the evil forces that surround him. But then something happens: he discovers that he isn’t the only undercover detective to infiltrate the group. And the knowledge that he’s not alone takes the weight off.
There are many times in my life when I’ve felt alone – particularly as I have tried to live out my faith and God’s plan for my life in the midst of an evil world. There were times when I felt like I was the only Christian in my school or at my job or on my team. And it’s a heavy burden to bear. It’s a lonely burden to bear.
But when I look back on those times now it’s not so much the loneliness and isolation that I remember; it’s the friends that took those feelings away. I am so thankful for the awesome people God has put in my life to journey alongside me. He built us to do life together and it is such a blessing to have friends to support and encourage you. Even one friend makes a massive difference when you’re feeling lonely. In The Man Who Was Thursday, Chesterton observed, “Through all this ordeal his root horror had been isolation, and there are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematicians that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.”
One of the most difficult periods of David’s life was when Saul was pursuing him and trying to take his life. David was seeking to live out God’s call on his life – to be the next king – and Saul was trying to make sure that didn’t happen. And in the midst of this dark time, David had a friend who stood by his side. Jonathan – whom you would expect to take Saul’s side since he is the one whom Saul wanted to be the next king instead of David – chose to be a friend to David. He warned David when he was in danger and even made sure to seek David out and encourage him when he was feeling down.
What friends has God brought into your life that have blessed you? How can you be a blessing to a friend this week?
PRAY: Thank God for the friends he’s given you, and ask God to help you be a friend who blesses the people in your life.
throughin2.com 