I Got Your Back

~

Long ago there were two youths that lived in a small village, they grew up together and became the best of friends. They worked, played, they did everything together. They were like Brothers they were so close to each other. If one got into a scrap the other would join in to help in the fight, if one got into some trouble with debts or had trouble with work the other would do everything he could to help out.

   One day the news quickly spread across the country side, "The king is looking for young men to fight in his army!" The two young men quickly volunteered together, and just like back in the village they stayed together.
They trained and sparred together, soon they knew exactly what the other would do without even thinking of it and knew what each others weaknesses were. They stayed together to watch each others back.

   One day they finally entered the battlefield, the fighting was brutal but they stayed close and fought as one, covering and defending the other while simultaneously pushing through the enemy ranks. At one moment they found themselves in a small patch in the field where there was no fighting and no one else around them. They stopped for just a moment to rest, when the older youth caught a glimmer of armor out of the corner of his eye and saw an archer let loose an arrow right at his friend! He quickly leaped to his friends back and put up his shield. The arrow lodged itself firmly into his shield and without saying a word they both quickly leaped back into the fighting.

~

There actually is a story of two friends that were so close they were like brothers in the Bible, many of you probably are familiar with it. It's the story of David and Jonathan. If you take a look at 1Samuel chapter 18 verses 1-4 you'll see it says "Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." That's a close friend. Keep reading on into the next few chapters and you'll see that even though his father tried to kill David, Jonathan was right there helping him out.

We're considered lucky if we find a friend like that in our life time. Someone we know from childhood and keep as a close friend we can depend on all through life. But there is a lesson in this story that we can apply to our relationships in our Christian walk.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

I'm willing to bet the saying two heads are better than one came from this verse right here. It's important that we have good Christian fellowship on a regular basis so that we can lift each other up and encourage one another. To put on the Armor of God and use our shields as Christians back to back to deflect the arrows of the Devil. 

Going it out alone isn't an option, in Hebrews 10:25 it says "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the day approaching." 

And let us not forget that famous passage that says "Where two or more are gathered I am there with them." I know that I myself am blessed with a multitude of friends that I can trust with my very life and know that I can call on them if I ever need help with anything. There have been countless times I've been down and hurting, needed to talk, or had a physical need and my friends have always been right there to help me out. I myself am that friend to quite a few and I would drop everything on my plate if my friends needed me. 

We need to keep ourselves surrounded with good Christian brothers and sisters, and more importantly we need to find one or two good friends we can trust to hold us accountable to ourselves and that we can rely on and confide in. Or maybe you're the one someone else needs to lean on this week, make a little extra time to be there for someone and to help encourage and point them back to God.

God Bless,

      Ryan