April was a tough month. My eighty-nine-year-old dad was hospitalized because of complications from a “minor” surgery. To care for and advocate for him, I visited the hospital once or twice a day. Concern for my eighty-year-old mom, now living alone thirty miles away, niggled at my consciousness. The routine demands of work, home, and church didn’t stop, so to say I was overwhelmed would be a bit of an understatement.
Overwhelmed and Weary
The biblical figure David didn’t have a father in the hospital, but he knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed. God had anointed him king through the prophet Samuel, but for well over a decade, the closest he seemed to the throne was running for his life from the current king. Maniacal King Saul had put the biggest bounty in the kingdom on his head. David felt anything but kingly.
Dodging spears, continually looking over his shoulder, and hiding in caves, David was stretched thinner than a string on his shepherd’s harp. Add to this the weight of a family, his followers, and his not-yet call to lead the nation, and we see that he was carrying a camel-sized load.
His psalms, many of them penned while he was on the run, express feelings I related to during my dad’s illness. In Psalm 63, he described himself as being “in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
The Power of Showing Up
Enter Jonathan—the son of Saul, but also the best friend of David.
At David’s lowest emotional and spiritual point, “Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods” (1 Samuel 23:16 NKJV).
Jonathan couldn’t stop his troubled father from chasing David all over the countryside. He couldn’t offer wise words to make all David’s problems vanish. He couldn’t even bring him a milkshake to make him feel better.
But what he could do, he did. He brought David his friendship and love. He showed up.
And then he did something equally important—He “strengthened [David’s] hand in God” (1 Samuel 23:16 NKJV).
“[Jonathan] said to him, ‘Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel” (v. 17 NKJV).
Jonathan reminded David of what he knew to be true but might have lost sight of—the promises of God.
During my six-week-long vigil at Dad’s side, I too needed to be reminded of the promises God had given me:
- That whatever path Dad’s illness took him on, God would walk with us (Psalm 23:4).
- That God would meet our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
- That nothing is too hard for God (Luke 1:37).
The Strength to Press On
Kind friends sent text messages telling me they were praying for us. Katie, a friend from church, showed up at the hospital with three Chick-fil-A milkshakes—one for him, one for her, and one for me. As we sipped Dad’s favorite treat, we talked about God’s faithfulness and shared stories of past blessings.
As Jonathan prepared to leave David, “the two of them made a covenant before the lord” (1 Samuel 23:18 NKJV). The men renewed their promises of friendship and solidarity, no matter what the future held.
Katie ended her visit with a promise, too. “We’re here for you. Please let us know how we can help.”
Jonathan’s visit didn’t change David’s circumstances, and Katie’s didn’t change ours. Scripture tells us, “David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house” (v. 18 NKJV). But by entering into David’s pain, reminding him of God’s promises, and renewing their friendship, Jonathan “strengthened [David’s] hand in God.”
Dad and I experienced this same strengthening. Katie’s visit, accompanied by love and a treat, reminded us of what we knew to be true—that others cared about us, that God would walk with us, and that life is always better with a milkshake.
The time Katie spent with us—less than an hour—reoriented our tilted world and gave us what we needed to press on.
A week later, Dad went home to be with Jesus. He received his crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8). Years after Jonathan’s visit, David went home to Jerusalem and received his crown as the king of Judah.
Each of us walked into our future strengthened by the love and care of godly friends.
Who in our life needs a friend like Jonathan and Katie?
Let’s be that friend today.
—Written by Lori Hatcher. Used by permission from the author.
