The Friend Who Strengthened My Hand in God

“And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.” — 1 Samuel 23:16

There was a time when a godly young man from my church would come to my home simply to pray with me. Some days we would pray together for an hour or more.

I remain thankful for those visits. He did not arrive carrying an answer to every problem. We did not finish each prayer knowing exactly what God would do. But as we committed needs to the Lord, I became more conscious of His hand at work in our lives and in the lives of others.

Looking back, I see something of Jonathan’s ministry to David in those ordinary hours of prayer.

A Friend Who Entered the Wood

David was hiding in the wilderness while Saul sought to kill him. Scripture says that Saul pursued him every day, “but God delivered him not into his hand” (1 Samuel 23:14).

Jonathan could not end Saul’s pursuit. He could not safely return David to the palace, provide another army or immediately place him on the throne God had promised him. Yet Jonathan did what he could: he went to David in the wood.

That detail matters. Jonathan did not send encouragement from the comfort of home. He arose and entered the place where his friend was struggling.

Christian encouragement often begins in the same way. It means being willing to enter another person’s circumstances—not pretending we can repair everything, but refusing to leave them there alone.

Strength Directed Toward God

Jonathan “strengthened his hand in God.” He did not try to make David dependent upon Jonathan. He reminded David not to fear and directed him back to what God had promised.

There is a kind of encouragement that merely makes us feel better for a moment. Godly encouragement goes deeper. It helps us see our circumstances in the light of God’s character, His Word and His faithfulness.

That is what shared prayer can do. When another believer prays with us, our troubles are not denied or minimised. They are brought before Someone greater than either person in the room.

My friend could not know every burden I would face, just as I could not know his. But together we could acknowledge that God knew them. We could ask for wisdom, provision, protection and growth. We could thank Him for answers already received and trust Him with answers that had not yet come.

Pride Can Keep Us Praying Alone

Receiving this kind of help requires humility.

David might have dismissed Jonathan. He could have argued that nobody understood the uniqueness of his situation. He had been anointed as Israel’s future king, yet he was living as a fugitive while the present king hunted him. Jonathan could not fully carry that burden for him.

David nevertheless received his friend’s encouragement.

We can make our own struggles sound so complicated—or so trivial—that we convince ourselves not to share them. Sometimes we do not want to burden anyone. At other times, if we are honest, we do not want to appear needy.

But making a need known is not necessarily complaining. Asking someone to pray can be an act of faith. It acknowledges that God often ministers to His people through other members of His family.

Becoming a Witness to God’s Faithfulness

Praying with another person brings a further blessing: someone else begins to share the memory of what was asked.

When an answer comes, that friend can rejoice with us. When we forget, they may remind us. When the answer is delayed, they can continue asking after our own words have grown tired.

This is one reason testimony matters. The story of God’s faithfulness is rarely meant to remain locked inside one person’s memory. Shared prayer gives another believer a place from which to say, “I remember when we prayed about that. Look at what the Lord has done.”

Those hours of prayer with my friend taught me that seeing God’s hand is not merely a private exercise. Sometimes another person helps us recognise it.

Who Can You Strengthen?

You may not be able to remove somebody’s difficulty. You may have no money to resolve it, no influence to change it and no advice that seems adequate.

But you may still be able to go to them.

You can listen. You can open Scripture. You can remind them of what God has said. You can pray with them instead of only promising to pray later.

And if you are the person hiding in the wood, let somebody know where you are. Receive the friend God sends. Allow another believer to strengthen your hand—not merely in optimism, self-confidence or human solutions, but in God.

I am grateful for a friend who did that for me.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the people who have strengthened my hand in You. Give me humility to receive prayer when I need it and willingness to enter the difficulties of others. Make my encouragement more than pleasant words: help me direct weary hearts toward Your character, Your promises and Your faithfulness. Amen.