Do you have someone you could call in the middle of the night if you
needed help? Bible teacher Ray Pritchard calls these people “2 a.m. friends.”
If you have an emergency, this kind of friend would ask you two questions:
“Where are you?” and “What do you need?”
Friends like that are crucial during difficult times. Jonathan was that
type of friend for David. Jonathan’s father, King Saul—who was filled with envy
at David’s popularity and God’s blessing on him—tried to kill him (1 Sam. 19:9-10).
David escaped and asked his friend for help (ch. 20). While David hid in the
field, Jonathan sat at dinner with his father and quickly realized that Saul
did indeed intend to kill David (vv.24-34).
Because of their deep friendship, Jonathan “was grieved for David”
(v.34). He warned him of his father’s plan and told him he should leave
(vv.41-42). David recognized what a good friend he had in Jonathan. The Bible
says they wept together, “but David more so” (v.41). Their souls were “knit”
together.
Do you have loving Christian friends you can count on in a crisis? Are
you someone your friends would call a “2 a.m. friend”?
A true friend stands with us in times of trial. (RBC)
