Good Morning Friends,
Even in a nation full of blessings, many people—especially youth—are struggling with emotional pain, loneliness, and discouragement. This time of year can be especially heavy: less sunlight, lingering illness, and the weight of bad news can leave people feeling isolated. Our mental health is more fragile than we admit, and isolation keeps us from the very people through whom God often cares for us—Jesus, and Jesus-in-us through the Holy Spirit. Today’s Scriptures remind us that godly friends help keep us grounded. We see this in Jesus’ ministry and in the intertwined stories of David, Saul, Jonathan, and Mephibosheth. Their lives show triumph and heartbreak, leadership and loss, and the surprising ways God works through human emotion and relationship. Many today are asking the same question the Hebrews once asked: Where is God when life falls apart? They faced persecution, discouragement, and spiritual fatigue. Yet God used their need for support to draw them back to His providence and care. So, we ask: Do We See God’s Providence When We Lay Down Our Crutches And Follow Jesus?
Scripture: Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent, was warned, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises.
Hebrews 7:25-8:6 (NRSV)
Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark 3:7-12 (NRSV)
As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they made merry, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day on. Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul’s son Jonathan took great delight in David. Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.” Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?” Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7 (NRSV)
Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled; and, in her haste to flee, it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 4:4 (NRSV)
Message: We often chase power, position, or security, but true safety is found in God alone. Like Jesus threatening the religious leaders, David’s rise threatened Saul. Yet before David became king, God stripped away every “crutch” he leaned on—his position, possessions, wife, counselor, and even his closest friend Jonathan. Still, God preserved him.Each of us must face our own crutches—people, roles, or comforts we depend on more than God. Scripture teaches that no relationship is more important than Jesus. Under pressure from family, work, and culture, we must reevaluate where our security truly lies. Mephibosheth’s story reminds us that weakness can become the doorway to grace. Though marked by tragedy, he was welcomed to King David’s table for life—a picture of how Jesus welcomes and heals us. We are called to spread hope, because someone’s life may depend on it. Hebrews assures us that God is able to save now and forever, but we must choose to grow, serve, and bear fruit.
And So, following Jesus is radical. Life is not a straight path of blessings but a winding road of challenges. Like the stories of Joseph, Job, Esther, and Ruth which are not in today’s readings but well worth your time to explore, the stories of David, and especially Jesus, which are in today’s readings teach us that God is not merely cleaning up trouble—He is guiding us through it with purpose. Christian life is not trouble-free; often we must lay down familiar crutches to follow Christ more fully. David’s journey shows this clearly. Anointed as king while still a shepherd, he later served Saul, endured jealousy, fled for his life, and refused to harm Saul even when he had the chance. Through every twist, David trusted God’s providence. When the time was right, God removed the obstacles. Our task is to respond faithfully when God calls.
Pray that we lay down our crutches and follow Jesus. Pray for friends who strengthen us on the journey. Pray that Jesus overcomes evil in and around us. Pray that we restore relationships and honor friendships that glorify God. Pray that we accept Christ’s invitation to His table and choose life. Pray that we offer real hope to those in need. Pray that our minds are renewed and our leadership matures. Pray that we help others become more like Christ. Pray that our values align with the love and wisdom of Jesus. Pray that we understand the church’s calling and live it faithfully.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 