Jonathan, king Saul’s son, was there at the batlefield the day David took down Goliath…
1 Samuel 18:1-5 (NLT)
1After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. 2From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. 3And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. 4Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his armor, sword, bow, and belt. 5Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.
Dear David,
I hope you receive the enclosed package with this letter as a token of our friendship.
I watched you stand before Goliath, a stone in your sling and faith in your eyes, I felt as though time had folded in on itself. It was as if I was seeing my own reflection from another world — the battle against the Philistines in Michmash [1] —a world where courage and faith are the only currencies that matter.
I too, cannot stand when the name of the living God is made a mockery. You may not know this, but my father had promised my sister Merab to the man who would defeat Goliath. That was his way of keeping me away from the battlefield, a protective spell woven from a father’s love and fear. But you, David, you shattered that spell with a single stone.
I find myself compelled to offer you my robe, my armor, my sword, my bow, and my belt. These are not mere objects, but fragments of my soul, tokens of a friendship that I sense will transcend time and circumstance. When I give you these things, I am sharing with you a part of my very essence. I want you to lead the army of the living God!
Your faith has ignited a fire within me, a fire that I thought had been extinguished by the complexities of palace life and the weight of future kingship. It’s as if you’ve opened a door to a hidden room within my soul, a room filled with the pure, untarnished zeal for God and for our people.
So, I find myself pondering: Can we, together, look up to the same eternal sky and see the same boundless possibilities? Can our souls be entwined in a way that elevates us both, that brings glory to God and honor to Israel?
With deepest respect and friendship,
Jonathan
Share with your friends, “What would you give to form deeper spiritual friendship with others?”
[1] Jonathan and his armor-bearer ventured and fought against the Philistine although they were out-numbered and climbing up a cliff (1 Samuel 14:1-23). God brought victory to the Israelites that day.
You all know me! My friends are my family! I’m always down to give to the best of my ability for my friends! Sometimes I struggle with saying no even. But I think it’s super important to encourage one another through prayer. Checking in with one another is important. Getting together through dinners, working out, going to meetings, and small groups is always a great way to get spiritually deeper with one another. Jesus is my ride or die homie and I’m so grateful 🥹🙏🏻
Thank you God for Blessing me with amazing fellowship in my life. I pray today for peace and strength to get me through any obstacles comes my way. I pray that there can be peace between me and Joey. I pray that my kids, family, and friends have peace and are protected with God’s love all around them. Amen
(from Steve)
Hmmm… whay I would give to form deeper spiritual friendships with others. I would have to say, I’ve given clothes off my back, the last of my food, and to me those were the things that were always replaceable, but one thing that use to give would mean allot to me is my time because I can’t get the time in my life back, but now I would love to give up my time to anyone as long as it is to bond spiritually or anything to grow spiritually with anyone. So would have to say time because that’s something I do cherish and love, but God is honestly what I cherish love even more now. I don’t even know if I’m making sense but yeah. 😇
I would give my time and resources to invest into deeper spiritual friendships. I believe that these types of relationships are important to our spiritual growth. God can love, comfort, and heal us through these friendships. They keep us accountable and challenge us in our faith journey. They can offer counsel when we need it and celebrate with us during life’s joyous moments. Deep spiritual friendships can help us recharge and heal our souls.
From Teri
I think it would be very special if I am able to have a spiritual friendship with someone. It’s important as a Christian to have such a friend and be that friend to another person. However, I think it’s not that easy to develop such a friendship with someone unless there’s trust. Trust that the friend doesn’t gossip and actually cares for you and has your best interest at heart. This friend will keep you accountable, not be afraid to be honest with you when you sin or do things that do not align with what God would want.
This friendship would be special because I think it would be rare so those who has it, should feel very blessed.
For me, the one thing that I would give is time in order to develop deeper spiritual friendships. Time is a God given gift that we can never get which reveals the value of time. Not simply just giving time but intentional time that helps to build one another in a way that glorifies God. Today’s reading was pretty inspiring in how David’s action of courage and faith lit a fire within Jonathan, King Saul’s son, to pursue God with zeal and fire. What Jonathon did in return was give David objects that were considered fragments of Jonathon’s soul as a way to develop a friendship that transcends. I believe that with intentional time with our friends, brothers, will build deeper spiritual relationships as well. Thank you for today’s reading.
-John
The thing I would give to form depose spiritual friendships is time. To me, time is something that doesn’t stop and we can’t get more of so we would need to make the most of the opportunities and as Christians we are to live with each other so we spend time together. Reading the word, studying it, living it out. Being there to listen and giving advice when needed is important to growing cause we would be able to discern with others the situation in our lives.
For me, I would also give time and care to form a deeper spiritual friendship with others. I think it’s important to have someone willing to listen to what I say and be available to me in difficult times. And I would do the same for my friends. Having someone who you can trust and share life with is important. So just spending time and building that bond is what I would do. If Jonathan can give what he values the most to David, then I too could give my time to my friends. This way, we could challenge each other spiritually and grow more in Christ.
To build a deeper spiritual friendship, I think we should put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and act accordingly. Friendship cannot be built solely on my feelings. I think the most important thing is to be there for the other person and for them to be there for me. By doing so, spiritual friendship is finally established. We communicate our thoughts and feelings to each other and grow together.