“Do all that you have in mind,” (Jonathan’s) armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

- 1 Samuel 14:7

The situation looked bleak. The Philistines had superior numbers. The Israelite warriors were forced to hide in caves and holes in the ground. Jonathan, the crown prince of Israel, knew that something drastic had to happen.

He decided to do something courageous, to stop hiding and to go on the offensive. But he couldn’t do it alone.

We all have challenges in life that require great courage from us. Major life transitions. Illnesses. Difficulties at work or at school or at home. The pursuit of God.

In the face of these great challenges, we often find that we can’t face them alone. We don’t always like to admit it. But it’s true.

Jonathan had an armor-bearer. The armor-bearer doesn’t get named in today’s passage. He doesn’t get any of the credit for Jonathan’s courageous act. And yet he’s crucial to the story.

Jonathan needed someone to keep his enemies from flanking him and surrounding him. He needed someone to help him scramble up the cliff and into the fight. And beyond all of that, he just needed someone to be with him.

His courage and his own skillset and his own resources were not enough. He needed someone to go up with him to bolster him when his courage began to fail. And his armor-bearer, his friend, was with Jonathan heart and soul.

We all need friends who are going to be with us heart and soul.

This week, our Connect Devotionals will focus on friendship. And our hope and prayer for you is that God would provide you with friends who will be with you heart and soul.

Take a moment right now to take stock of your friendships. Who do you have who’s with you heart and soul? Who can you depend on and trust? Where do your friendships need healing, strengthening or celebrating?