Godly Advice; Priceless

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. [1 Samuel 23:16 NIV]

Godly advice; what’s it worth to us? How about the man that was walking down the road and saw a fellow with a ladder leaning against a tall pole? He was on the top of the ladder with a steel tape trying to measure the pole. The guy asks what he is doing and he tells him that he is trying to find out how tall the pole is. He asks the guy why he did not measure it while it was on the ground and the guy responded with, “I don’t care how long it is; I want to know how tall it is.”

Sometimes people have a different perspective on things than we do. That is not a new revelation but our perspectives are based on where we are coming from at the time. David knew Saul was out to kill him. Saul’s forces numbered in the thousands and David had six hundred men with him. David inquired of God in Keilah, “Will Saul come here looking for me and will this people turn me over to him?” God answered yes to both questions. While David was hiding in the desert of Ziph at Horesh he must have been afraid that Saul would find him. Then help arrives; from Saul’s son Jonathan. He reminded David of Samuel’s prophecy upon Saul: “The Lord will tear the kingdom from your hands and give it to one of your neighbors.” Jonathan told David even Saul knew God would protect him when he said; “As long as the son of Jesse is alive you will never be the king of this kingdom.” Jonathan’s advice helped David that day as we later read in Psalm 54.

We need a Jonathan to come to us once in a while. We need to be a Jonathan sometimes too. Even the strongest of Christians need encouragement when in a pickle. That encouragement does not always have to come from a pastor or a counselor. It can come from you. We need to be reminded of who we are in Christ and encouraged to trust in Him from time to time. We need to remind others at times of God’s promises toward them. He is a lonely and miserable man that will not receive the godly advice of friends. He is a selfish and arrogant man that will not offer it to friends. You may need someone today to encourage you to continue to trust in the Lord, or you may know someone that needs you to tell them to trust in Him. Don’t wait until the pole is in the ground and they are up on a ladder; go to them while it is still lying on the ground!