1 Samuel 20:41-42 - As soon as the boy had gone, David rose
from beside the stone heap and prostrated himself with his face
to the ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and wept with
each other; David wept the more. Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in
peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, "The
Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your
descendants, forever.' " He got up and left; and Jonathan went into the
city.
David had returned to see if king Saul was still trying to
kill him. He met secretly with his
friend Jonathan…and told him his heart…that his father was probably hiding the
truth from him…because of their friendship. So they worked out a plan…so that
David could hide in safety...until Jonathan could talk face to face with his
father…and hear the truth for himself.
Jonathan’s words were chosen carefully…to help him be fair to his father
until he was sure.
It wasn’t a pretty scene for Jonathan…his father called him
a fool…for protecting David….for loving him so much. Then his own father threw
a spear at him. ..with the intent to kill him too. There had to have been tears
in his eyes as he shot the three arrows to signal David that he knew he truth. And his heart must
have broken in the moment that he uttered the signal words that indicated David
needed to run far away from this place where he was hated so much.
But the story says David’s tears were greater….for he knew
in his heart that he might never see this friend who had been so dear to him
again. Their goodbyes …so confusing to their hearts. Their tears of grief were
not held back…they were exchanged freely….so each would know the love that
existed between them. They even made provisions for their future children...just
in case it was God’s plan that they never meet again.
My heart hung on the last words of Jonathan...who through
his tears told David to ‘go in peace’…and carry the love of God with him. Oh how his heart must have been ripped from
it cage of muscle and bone as they hugged and cried with each other…. Jonathan
holding with all his might to God...trusting even through his obvious grief…that
somehow God would comfort them both and help them …despite the human pain they
both felt in that moment.
It reminds me that I need to trust my God in everything that
happens…no matter how sad or fearful it might make me in any given moment. My
tears of grief...my cries of fear…my pangs of loneliness…my questions of confusion
and doubt…may never be answered in my lifetime. But I have a God…who can place
within my heart a peace that surpasses human understanding. Jonathan’s wise heart had found that peace
Paul told us about in Philippians 4:7 …. “And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.” The peace did not stop the tears from flowing…it
allowed the tears of these two friends to heal their pain and preserve their love
through the horrible moment they were experiencing.
Father…I thank you for your peace….I thank you for tears
that cleanse and heal and prove that our emotions are intact. I thank you for the great writers of the
Bible you chose…and gave these powerful words of love and healing too. Help me
to accept your powerful peace…even when my heart is crying out questions of
doubt. Help me to accept your wonderful
peace…when I am overwhelmed with moments of grief and sadness. Help me to accept your perfect peace that
surpasses my human capacity to understand…so I can experience your love and comfort
through my pain and trials here on Earth….so I can allow my mind to think like
your heart…and put the worries of the future in your hands. Amen.
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