If I have to choose one thing to thank God for this year, it would have to be friends who help me find strength in the Lord. This is one of the God’s greatest gifts. This is the gift God gave David in Jonathan. I don’t know how long a trip it was from the royal palace to the wilderness of Ziph, but Jonathan evidently thought it was worth the trouble. “Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God” (1 Samuel 23:16).

And now I know how Jonathan did that because I have friends who do that for me: He spoke truth to him—the full, big picture truth, and not just the little particle of the truth that we tend to focus on when we’re afraid, as David was, being pursued like a flea by King Saul.

Sometimes it happens that you don’t have a strong friend around to strengthen you in the Lord, so you have to do it to yourself. This is not the ideal (Hebrews 3:13 says it’s good to get a little help from your friends), but it can be done. David was down to zero friends after the raid at Ziglag; there was talk of stoning him. So he “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). Same method. Talk truth to yourself: God loves me. God is my refuge. God has a purpose for me.

Jesus was down to zero friends as he hung on the tree. He came to his lowest point ever: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). How do you think that in a few minutes’ time Jesus went from that sentiment to this muscular movement of the will: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Same method. He reminded himself that he had come from God and was going to God (John 13:3).