Some people thrive on relationships. Others find relationships difficult to manage or challenging to begin and maintain.

Today, let’s look at a couple of healthy relationships in the Bible.

In the book of 1 Samuel, we find that while Saul was King of Israel, his son Jonathan was good friends with David—the same David who, as a young man, killed the giant Goliath. But God had chosen David, not Saul’s son, as the next king. Saul, Jonathan, and David, all knew it.

Saul’s reaction to the news was to try to kill David. But the young men’s friendship was deep. Jonathan protected David from Saul’s wrath.

Scripture says, “Jonathan loved David as he loved himself” (1 Sam. 20:17b NLT). Jonathan was willing to give up his right to the throne for his friend David.

During David’s reign, he regularly sought the Lord for help and encouragement. His songs and prayers are found in the book of Psalms. Even though he made plenty of mistakes, Scripture notes David was “a man after [the Lord’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14).

David’s son Solomon was also close to the Lord. One of the reasons the queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon was “his relationship to the LORD” (1 Kings 10:1 NIV).

Having good friends and being a good friend is important. But the number one relationship we should be working on is our relationship with God. This is the reason God created people. He wanted a relationship with us! It pleases Him when we come to Him. He longs for us to turn our heart toward Him and live in relationship with Him.

I encourage you to spend time with the Lord today … and then reach out to a friend.