Walls Falling, Life Building

By Brenda Black


In the middle of the night, after fitful dreams of disaster thanks to an unwelcome and untimely problem, I jumped out of bed and headed for fresh air and prayer. A few tears later and an agreement with God to surrender helped me slowly return to sleep. The following morning, the wall had not fallen, but it seemed there might be a crack through which my Lord was shining a ray of reason. Before I ever opened my eyes, I could feel the warmth and I envisioned myself standing in the light of that symbolic pencil thin sliver of hope and felt a little more sane. God was already chipping away at the wall.

Dr. Ted Engstrom, past president of Youth for Christ, was quoted in Bill Bright The Greatest Lesson I Ever Learned: “A friend explained, 'Begin every day by offering your life, walk, and ways to the Lord as a living sacrifice. Put your body, mind, will, time, energy and all that you have into the hands of the Lord. Make it a daily experience.' What a wonderful bit of advice this has been.”

Those are wall falling, life building words! It's not our strength or ingenuity that decimates the barriers. God's complete and effortless mastery over all things clears paths and crumbles troubles. All He asks of me is to come to him with my mind, body and will.

In Joshua 6, the walls of Jericho tumbled down upon themselves when God's people obeyed instructions and marched around the city for seven days. Those walls may have towered a good 25 feet high and measured 20 feet thick. No shouts from a small army would be enough to budge a brick, but belief in the God of heaven heaped a fortified city into a pile of shards and dust. The crashing walls of Jericho was an act of God!

As I sensed God breaching my most current, looming edifice, I also began to see some self-made enclosures that had shut me off from feeling safe in the center of His protective will. I needed to get to work chipping away at some of those as well. That's called repentance.

Whether the walls that confine us are erected by others or ourselves, made of concrete or philosophy, difficulty or pride is irrelevant. God can lay them low if we put our trust and faith in His strength. But, in order to conquer, we may need to surrender first so that the walls can fall and lives can be rebuilt. As the Lord renovates, He searches for pure hearts, right motives and willingness with which to work. Once discovered, there will He erect His dwelling and reside.

God clarified to Solomon the prerequisite for holy construction. “'And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.'” (1 Chronicles 28:9-10)

Fallen walls and erected lives are only possible through the power of the Savior. I am thankful He is on my side willing to march around giant barriers, even in the middle of the night. I am humbled that He would care enough to fight my battles and reassure me of His power and presence. How could I not join forces and be devoted to One so loving and able!

If you feel like you are up against a wall, pray and shout! Then watch the Lord work it out and start building again. It's all part of his Master Builder plan to transform people into sanctuaries.  

The Fast Way to God's Heart

By Brenda Black

“'Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.'” (Isaiah 58:6—9a)

Welcome to this week in America: Injustice, oppression, hunger, loss of home and clothing and life! And out of the mouth of Isaiah, a prophet who preached in the 740's BCE, we hear God speak directly to us today. He tells us if we do what is right, the Lord Himself will have our back!

The word “prophet” literally means “to boil up like a fountain.” So here are a couple of fiercely frothy topics that need some God perspective to put us on the fast track to His blessings.

Boiling up first is the need to “Loose the chains of injustice.” I'm not one to go political in this column, but for crying out loud, there needs to be a house cleaning of magnanimous proportions in our government! So much corruption and injustice cannot continue if we want to draw near to God's heart. 

The truth is rapidly and finally becoming unveiled. Those whom we have entrusted, have lied, manipulated and murdered. Trust has been decimated along with privacy. Lives have been lost along with liberty.

May the chains of injustice be loosed and the cords of this deceitful yoke be broken so that freedom and security will once again be available to Americans. There's a reason God blessed this nation for generations. Generations before blessed God!

Boiling up next is the need to “Share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter.” Oddly enough in a world where social media keeps us instantly and constantly connected, the human element is all to often absent. Instead of reaching out to meet the needs of someone else, we're standing in front of mirrors taking self portraits with cell phones and so absorbed with our own trivial day-to-day happenings, that we forget none of us is the center of the universe! Good grief – we need to use our fingers less for texting the latest gossip and more for holding the hand of someone in crisis! So often, God uses the people-to-people formula to convey His love and grace. With all the pain in our country this week, don't miss being the Lord's emissary of mercy.

May we feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked and love one another as Christ loved us. “'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.'” (Matthew 5:7-8)

There's an overflow effect after boiling up like a fountain and taking God to the masses.“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”

The rear guard is that part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. Be aware, that as you speak up for truth, as you demand justice, as you sacrifice to meet the needs of another, the enemy will be on your heels in hot pursuit. I pray that the church of God does not withdraw, but advances, declaring the love of Christ and standing up for His justice.

May the timeless words of Isaiah appropriately overflow at a time when we need to hear them and follow them closely. May our fasting be honorable in the sight of God so that when we call, the Lord answers. When we cry for help, we here Him say, “Here am I.”

Lying Lips Deliver Only Bitterness

By Brenda Black

The marble floors and granite colonnades, high domed ceilings and cavernous hallways showcased mind-boggling and beautiful architecture as I strolled through the square and round mazes of the Capitol building. They also provided great amplification. A simple clickety-clack of an aide's stiletto heels or the giggles of touring school children sounded like fireworks and chaos when their echoes collided and bounced from one hard surface to another.

Still, the din from daily traffic was no match to the roar from the House floor. Debaters who took their places near microphones competed with constant chatter from the gallery. Hushed conversations escalated in volume as representatives and constituents or fellow law-makers huddled together to attempt intelligible conversations.

In the midst of all the mayhem, somehow the work of law-making continues. And in the middle of that business are men and women who perform one of two ways – honorably or dishonorably. If the walls of Congress could talk, they'd tell the battles of integrity versus immorality, principled decisions in struggle with unethical behavior. It's the human condition and it gets magnified in a magnificent place.

With every scheduled meeting, I felt fairly confident discerning whether I was hearing truth or just getting lip service. Having only met most of these legislators for the first time, the impressions of others who knew them better proved far more valuable in determining their credibility. When their own constituents spoke highly about them, it proved the elected representatives had earned their respect. Some were even applauded for valiant efforts and their long-standing integrity.

Unfortunately a few law makers have a different type of notoriety – a reputation for insincerity. A lack of wisdom and inability to see beyond their own personal agendas has those bad players better known for lying tongues, two-faced performances and narrow-minded opinions.

Which would you trust? Which would you rather be? Whether constituent or Congressman, receptionist or Representative, lobbyist or legislator – honesty and integrity matter.

Scripture speaks clearly about the importance of honesty. “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” (Proverbs 12:22) The Word of God also declares the benefits of honorable living. “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:12-14)

Most of us would contend that it is troubling to be on the receiving end of a liar's litany. But what of the snare the liar lays for himself when he refuses to speak the truth. “An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.” (Prov. 12:13)

Throughout my day at the Capitol, I heard of the work of honorable men and women. I learned about their passion for justice or their willingness to go to battle for right causes. I listened to colleagues drop their egos and applaud the accomplishments of fellow legislators.

On the flip side, one man's name repeatedly received negative reaction from every rank and file. He had earned the reputation for saying one thing and doing another. He lied, he broke trusts, he refused to listen. In short, the man was despised and disrespected by many. His reputation for insincerity didn't just bounce of the walls, it was proclaimed from the rooftops of this noble building.

His lying lips had rendered only bitterness when truth may have provided sweet bliss. “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” (Prov. 24:26)

I may not understand all the ins and outs of passing a bill through Congress, but I learned this much from my day at the Capitol, I'd rather walk blameless and seek the favor of the Lord and the respect from others than to walk in such a way as to leave a wake that causes others to despise and disrespect me. If it matters in law, how much more in life?

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ” Galatians 6:7-9

Answered Prayer Packaged in Inconvenience

By Brenda Black

When you pray for drought relief, there's no excuse to complain about mud. The catch 22 of moisture soaking the soil is the accumulation of mush on top. Far and wide across the nation, massive snowfall brought life-giving water in an inconvenient, all be it, beautiful form, turning every day routines into harrowing feats. But, if you think driving to work in a foot of slippery fluff is difficult with solid pavement under the tread, try plowing to work on the farm, through drifts and ruts, over slick, tender grass blades. All I can say is Yee Haw! Hold on tight and give it the gas!

I 'm glad my husband is the one at the wheel while I ride shotgun through such a challenging course. I would rather be the gate girl than the wife who slid the pickup into the fence. I don't know how he navigates through slimy, narrow passages or keeps it in the center of oozing slush, flanked by walls of white drifts just waiting to suck our rig into stuck. I do understand the absolute necessity of keeping my window rolled up! Some things you learn the hard way and a freezing cold mud bath slung in the face is one class I never intend to take.

Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you I am a “do it myself” kind of gal. I take on everything with an “I can” attitude. Sometimes, not to my credit, but to my shame, I think I can do it in my own strength. That's about as smart as me taking the wheel through a dangerous snow drift or riding shotgun to feed hay in winter with the window rolled down! I need to know my limits. I need to accept my powerlessness at times. I need to employ some God-given common sense and I need to turn to God.

If I ask Him to help me, then deny the answer He gives me or the help He brings, I'm going to curse the showers of blessings instead of accept them in their various forms. In rain and snow and sleet and mud, the Lord is good. His perfect wisdom is our solid foundation when the bottom of the road seems to disappear into oblivion. His perfect love protects us from the cold, nasty challenges that life slings into our face. His perfect grace does not demand that we do more than we were ever designed or called to accomplish. The Lord is faithful and knows what is best. Though we wonder at His tactics, we must never begrudge His mysterious answers to prayer.

We pray for the Lord to refresh our land with moisture and He sends a blizzard. That inconvenient snow that some may curse, delivers unseen benefits for which we didn't ask, but we get. Much needed moisture will penetrate deep into the ground as it slowly melts. We receive nitrogen for the soil and a hard freeze to annihilate an overabundance of disease bearing pests. There's run-off filling creeks and ponds and streams that have groaned for a drink. God sees the big picture.

So often, we think we do not get the answers we seek when we pray. In those moments, I must remember that I'm not the Creator in charge of the weather or of life. I need to trust the One who bids the snow to get me through the tough things that want to suck the life out of me or slam me headfirst into a frigid embankment.

Before we can get to the pasture, we first have to get out of the drive!

As the Lord spoke to Job long ago, He speaks with the same authority today: “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail...What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?” (Job 38:22-27)

I think we know the answer to all of these questions. If God is great enough to command all of earth, isn't He the One that should be 4-wheeling His way through my life. The One at the wheel has far more experience and has every intention of protecting me. I need to employ the common sense the Lord gave me: Just buckle up, keep the window up, and look up for His safety.

Answers to prayer comes packaged in strange and inconvenient containers. But, with eyes wide open , a receptive heart and a good grip on the dash, we might just be able to see the big picture when we trust the Lord to transport us through life's scary drifts.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Six Bucks and Counting

Six Bucks and Counting

From the driver's seat with my cell phone camera. 

By Brenda Black

Some guys pride themselves in being “chick magnets.” Well, I can top that! I attract the bucks. Now either these massive, gorgeous fellas are helplessly drawn by the Jovan Musk scent I'm wearing or they know I'm not packing a gun. Six times in the past week, I've come nearly nose to nose with Missouri's regal rack-bearing cervine. Granted a couple of the golden giants have been in full-tilt flight and 75 yards away, but the ones I've seen so near I could chuck a rock, have caused me to stop and marvel.

Standing at the fence, face to face.
Oh for my good camera that would have reflected
the nearness and beauty of this big buck.

Most die-hard deer hunters this past week got up on gusty and frigid mornings and traipsed through the dark to climb 20 feet into the air, and sit on a metal seat the size of a postage stamp. I, on the other hand, have been enjoying deer scenery during a drive or country jog and while gazing out the window of my heated, ground-level office.

The most recent encounter had me chuckling. There he lay, in plain site, not 40 yards from me. After the double take, I stopped the car and put her in reverse. He never moved. He just lay there chewing his cud and sunning. I rolled down my window and lifted the only proof-maker in my possession – the camera on my cell phone. Since he didn't budge, I thought maybe he was wounded. Curiosity opened the car door and I stepped up a short embankment, barely camouflaged by a scrawny cedar and some straggling brush. I did not creep. I just walked up to the fence line as if to greet a backyard neighbor. He looked me over, kept chewing his cud while a snapped and saved a few more shots. Finally, he decided it was time to stand. We assessed one another for a smattering of seconds before he trotted slowly, and quite without injury, into the timber. Thank You, God! How beautiful and priceless.

His casual exit. I cannot explain his lack of panic,
nor can I explain why my cell phone
made the picture blue.  

Now, I say this with the utmost respect for Missouri's outdoor sportsmen. The contents of my freezer and the trophy mounts from successful hunts by my sons are evidence I believe in the legal harvest of venison. But this time, in radiant daylight, along a gravel road, it was not about a kill, but about life.

Life: it comes and goes. We change and grow. It aches and achieves; grieves and adores. Life as we know it never is certain. And life is filled with blessings and curses. While I've been counting bucks this past week, I've been counting the cost of decisions I make and counting the days as fleeting and fragile. Though I'd like to lie in the sun and feel no threat as Mr. Buck did, I know that life is short and the world is not such a safe place. But there is something to be said for quiet confidence in the midst of uncertain times. And to this buck who acted brave and calm in the height of firearm season, I'd like to say, “Thanks for modeling such a noble attitude.”

“In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you... But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.” (Psalm 71:1-6, 14-15)

With what days I am given, I hereby profess I will spend as many as possible soaking up the SON and chewing on the Word of God with quiet confidence. I'm counting on the truth that God knows all and God knows best. And sometimes He gives us the most unusual peace so we can lie down and just rest, no matter the circumstances.

Trust is a Must

By Brenda Black

“In God We Trust” is not just a motto. It's a mindset. It's an action. Over 97% of the House thought voting on a resolution Tuesday reaffirming the statement as the official motto of the United States was important. But unless that motto becomes more than just words engraved on government buildings, their resolution is nothing but worthless lip service to a Holy God that deserves complete obedience and longs for sincere relationship. We better heed the words of God himself, recorded in Numbers 20:12. “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.'”

Trust is defined as 1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. 2. confident expectation of something; hope. 3. confidence in …

TV host Brian Tracy says “The glue that holds all relationships together - including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.”

Lip service or lives of service? Indifference or integrity? What will your motto be? And where will the United States be if we don't rely on the strength, ability and surety of God Almighty? We're toast without His blessing! Said another way, Rep. Trent Franks declared during the 35-minute floor debate over the motto that if the House doesn't believe in God, then “we should just let anarchy prevail because, after all, we are just worm food.”

Indeed we are made of dust and to dust we shall return, but in the mean time, we represent a King here on earth and our duties demand loyalty and love.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates...Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord you God, who is among you, is a jealous god and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not test the Lord your God...Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you...The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6 selected)

Though we are but a vapor, God has made us eternal. What we do in our breath of life matters forever. I'd rather go down on the side of the Lord than go down in history as one of His enemies. I don't want to be the generation that invited God's wrath on America! I don't want to be counted among the foolish and impetuous people that thumb their nose at a Holy God and tell Him, “We don't need you anymore; we can do this on our own.”

Praise the Lord, He works through remnants – sometimes they number 395. Sometimes they amount to only one. And I, as one, want to stand with those who will trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. I will in all my ways acknowledge Him so that He will make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). That's my motto and I'm sticking to it!

I will love the Lord with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind (Luke 10:27). That's my mindset and I'm thinking it!

In God I trust! That's my action and I'm living it!

Fear Cheered Away

By Brenda Black

I felt my heartbeat increase with each step up the 70 feet of spiraling, aluminum staircase perched on top of an Ozark Mountain. It did not help that the narrow tower swayed and the wind intensified the higher I climbed, or that hot, hard asphalt lay below. Lots of deep breathing, some internal talk and prayer kept me from giving in to natural fear. Plus the string of friends and strangers crawling up behind me would not have been happy with a retreat in reverse. I confess, some fear of humiliation pushed me upward and out onto the plank that would launch my horizontal, dangling descent.

By this point, I had already entrusted my life two times to a couple of pulleys, a carabiner and a guide who tried to use bad comedy as a means to alleviate panic. As one among the quasi-dare devils in his care, I came to conquer the zipline on this hot and breezy day. And the previous two practice rounds hadn't gone like I hoped.

On the very first apparatus, which was safely close to the ground, I grabbed the cable with my brake hand at the end of the line. I was supposed to simply apply pressure as instructed to this first-time zipper just moments earlier. I felt like I left my right arm back 20 feet while the rest of me careened forward. Three days later, I'm still sore from that wrong move.

Then our group ascended the first practice tower where I timidly stood 35 feet above rocky soil on a small wooden block. There I was clipped to a line three times longer and significantly higher than the one I just failed to master. I didn't have to worry about braking this round because I came up slightly short of the end of the line. But en route, I bicycled my legs haplessly when I began twisting out of alignment. I must have looked like a drowning cat in my awkward attempt to sleekly slide down a steel cable.

So, by the time I stood on that 70-foot swaying platform, I had mustered incredulous determination. I willed myself to steer true and to not grasp, but to press down, when our second guide motioned it was time to brake. The loud command from my cheerleading son who bellowed, “Just push down!” assured my successful end to my zippy trip that stretch. When done correctly, the stop came smoothly and the satisfaction was exhilarating!

“I did it right!” I squealed with delight. The inner fight was over. The inner fear faded. And the shear pleasure of gliding 50 mph through tree tops without worry over how the trip would end replaced all the anxiety.

Such is life. We do it the hard way and pay the price. We wobble and stray and blunder our way in our own strength and feel foolish. And then, when we just trust and obey and listen to the cheer of a Christian brother, we find great satisfaction in the journey and in the end celebrate together.

My zipline experience taught me much about myself and more about the courage and love and help of my son. It challenged me to face my fears and conquer them. I learned that perfection doesn't come with intensity, it comes when I relax and let the Lord lead me and someone else cheer me. Life is not about perfect execution, but it can be a perfect ride nonetheless.

I want to live that way – without fear or fretting. I want to step off every block that presents itself and fling myself joyfully along the path that God has charted for me. I know He's holding me. I know He'll be there to catch me. I know He is cheering me and smiling with me over every success. The Lord has given instructions for life. He provides a life line straight to heaven through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is trust Him that it will all end right.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

“The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.” (Psalm 28:7-9)

True Test of Loyalty

True Test of Loyalty
By Brenda Black

One thing that ends a friendship the quickest in my book is disloyalty. My greatest hurdle to forgiveness is getting past broken trust. I pray about it and grapple with it and try to move past it. For me, it takes time and God's poignant conviction as the two ingredients that deliver freedom from the wound inflicted by a friend who stabbed me in the back or foolishly passed along what had been discretely shared with them in confidence. Don't lie to me and don't gossip about me behind my back. I can get along with about any personality, but it takes everything in my power and the Lord's supernatural strength to get me past broken trust.

I found a kindred spirit in the man of King David. I discovered his staunch adherence to forthright loyalty in 1 Chronicles 12. David has been banished from the presence of Saul and is holed up in a cave at Ziklag. He has only a small army of thirty chiefs, his “Mighty Men.” Make no mistake - his small troop of warriors was fit to serve.

“They were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.” (1 Chr. 12:2)

These men had proven their faithfulness time and again. They were strong supporters of David's right to the throne and three of them accomplished tremendous feats of selfless bravery in order to protect or accommodate their king.

These men were more than mighty, they were trustworthy. Safety in friendship is essential and familiarity breeds confidence, especially when life depends upon it. So when a new group of Gadite defects and more Benjamites search out David in his desert stronghold, he has every reason to question their intention in verses 8-17. “They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains...

“These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

“Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. David went out to meet them and said to them, 'If you have come to me in peace, to help me, I am ready to have you untie with me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.'”

Stop right there. David has a mere 30 men and he's faced with commanders and fierce fighters and he hesitates to take them into his confidence. Get real! In David's desperate circumstance, how could he pass up such offers? Because taking a deceiver into his camp was more deadly than fighting with a faithful remnant.

Not until they decried fierce loyalty were they accepted. “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you!” (vs. 18b)

That's what David was waiting to hear. Loyalty to both himself and to the God he served. Trustworthy friends are not in the relationship for only what they can get out of it. They are in the friendship to insure that the other achieves the best as well. Looking out for the interest of others should be a prerequisite for true friendships. More importantly, a common trust in the Lord God insures that the relationship is built on TRUTH!

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor. 13:7)

As for me, I often need reminding that love also “keeps no record of wrongs.”

It takes trust to build trust. It takes love to forgive when trusts are broken. It takes God to offer a Son sacrifice who would lay down His life. And it takes God to build an army that would lay down their lives for one another. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)