Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts

Monday, June 24, 2013

God Ordained Friendship


                    

The friendship that exists between those brought together by God is truly a miracle. Many people in this world do not understand such a bond. To anyone who has not seen it or experienced it for him or herself, the temptation to claim that it isn’t real would be hard to resist. Those of us who have received the grace of God to be blessed with such a friendship know how real it is. Relationships that are ordained by God with his guidance and strength are true blessings that enrich our lives.

David before he became king

Recently I have been studying the story of David in the Bible. I have been enthralled by the story of David and Jonathan because of their special bond. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 18:1, “…the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul (NKJV)”. God worked through this friendship to position David to be king and carry out his will for the benefit of his people. Both realized that their friendship was a God given bond and part of a larger plan for the fulfillment of the Lord’s will. Considering all the obstacles that faced this relationship, expressly the murderous attempts of the current king on David’s life (which happened to be Jonathan’s father) the only explanation for how this close bond was forged and how it flourished was that it was God ordained.

Noticing this divine intervention in both their lives, each realized the impact of this special gift from God. This is expressed in the words of Jonathan when he said, “Go in peace! The two of us have vowed friendship in God’s name, saying God will be the bond between you and me and between my children and your children forever (1 Samuel 20:42, The Message)! They both understood the strength gained by two people coming into agreement with God as the Bible says, “a strand of three is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12)”.