You know the saying, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it”? Yeah, I think it applies to me as well. During the winter break, I was in this place where I just felt dissatisfied spiritually, and I prayed to God that He would relieve me of my dryness. I wasn’t in the most desirable place, and honestly? I was bored with my faith. Needless to say, I made a bold declaration one night as I was reading the Word. What did I say? Well, I said what any “like-minded” Christian would say: “Lord, give me a spirit of Jonathan.”
It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, either. I could’ve asked for a spirit as bold and courageous as David, or as zealous as Paul, but why Jonathan? I’ve read about Jonathan, the friend who "loved him (David) as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1), many times. One thing that drew me to him was his character. Although he wasn’t the future king that God appointed as his own, Jonathan played a pivotal role in David’s survival.
If you don’t know the story of David, and how Jonathan was introduced into the picture, let’s start from the beginning. (Mind you, I’m just paraphrasing, but the book of 1 Samuel is the reference).
There was this woman named Hannah, who really wanted a child. She would go to the temple of God each day, crying aloud to the Lord to give her a child. It came to the point where the priest who attended the temple thought that Hannah was drunk (she was not) because she was muttering through her tears. God heard her prayers and granted her a son named Samuel, whom she dedicated to God.
Samuel grew up, and God appointed him as a prophet over Israel. God told Samuel to anoint a man named Saul to be king, since the Israelites needed someone to rule over them, like other nations did (since they somehow felt God wasn’t enough). However, despite his title, Saul did not pursue God wholeheartedly. He made poor decisions and deliberately disobeyed God many times. Therefore, God chose another man to be king, and that man was David, who was called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
Samuel anointed David when David was a young boy, and when David grew older, he fought this giant of the Philistine army (also named Goliath), and with God’s help, Goliath was defeated. After that day, everyone began to praise David, and Saul grew jealous of David’s fame and influence. Saul attempted multiple times to murder David because Saul feared losing his throne. Yet, God purposed David to become king. During those times when David’s life was in danger, Saul’s son, Jonathan, chose to protect David, despite his father’s motives. Saul recognized the calling that God had for David, and Saul risked his life willingly to ensure that David was protected. In the end, Saul committed suicide when the Philistine army overpowered the army of Israel. Jonathan was killed, too, as well as the other sons of Saul.
Although Jonathan’s end was tragic, I believe that God placed him in David’s life for a reason. Yes, David was anointed by God to be king, but I believe God knew that David couldn’t do it on his own. There are many Jonathans in this world. Men and women who serve in the background, who don’t always receive the recognition that their brothers and sisters in the forefront may receive. Yet, Johnathans choose to serve God with their whole hearts because they recognize that, though they were not placed in the spotlight position, the Lord recognizes their part in the kingdom. At the heart of Jonathan’s character was humility. He could have easily sided with his father to destroy David to become a possible heir to his father’s throne. However, he was led by God out of humility and love for David.
As I spoke that prayer a few months ago, I can honestly say that the Lord has done things in my life to humble me. From people not recognizing me despite my repeatedly speaking to them, to witnessing my friends succeed in ways that I haven’t been able, I do feel that the Lord has given me a heart to rejoice in the fact that I am His. Even if I’m unrecognizable to others, he knows my name. Even if my purpose is to remain in the background and be in that position to assist a “David” in my life, so be it. Lord, if I am to be as Jonathan, so be it.
