Message summary: We want to help others find strength in God. Today let us put this into practice. We all know of weary, discouraged and fearful people like David. Let us help them find strength in God!

Yesterday we shared in our message about a visit my brother Pat and I made to a redwood grove last week, illustrating our message from the tree's ability to be withstand fire. These giant trees are in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, north of Santa Cruz.

You visit the park by taking a short walk (less than a mile) via loop trail through the trees with a park-provided pamphlet that explains what visitors are seeing.

Another observation from the redwood tree  illustrates a spiritual truth in the way redwoods grow. It's called "Redwood Family Circles". The coastal redwood is able to sprout from its trunk base. Even if the tree is taken down its root system is still alive. They have a root system that goes only 6-12 feet below the surface. Since many redwoods grow to some 300 feet in height their shallow root system is remarkable.

But the root system spreads over one hundred feet from the base, which intertwines with the roots of other redwoods. This increases their stability during strong winds and floods.

I believe this illustrates a very important way we strengthen one another as believers. Thank God for the people in our lives who strengthen us. We can become spiritually intertwined with them for mutual strengthening. We hope you have a lot of them in your life and especially friends like David had with Jonathan.

Today's first text is a remarkable statement. It describes the very essence of the strengthening nature of Christian fellowship.

At this point Saul was insanely jealous of David and was in hot pursuit of killing him. The previous verse states, "While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life".

However, Saul's son Jonathan saw his father's error and remained faithful to his friend, David, who just learned that Saul had come out to take his life. Surely Jonathan knew this as well so he was risking his own life and the resulting fallout from his father's wrath in order to help David.

Notice that Jonathan "went to David". He took the initiative and made the effort to help a friend in trouble. David had fled to Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, which was a very desolate and remote region south of the Dead Sea. There are many situations where being a good friend takes some effort and sacrifice.

Jonathan was purposeful in his visit as he set out to "help him find strength in God". The NASV states, "encouraged him in God". This is surely one of the most powerful examples and images of strengthening encouragement found in the entire Bible.

Today you may know of people like David who are besieged by difficult circumstances. They need someone to help them find strength. But notice the very clear source of strength: "in God". This verse expresses the highest purpose of a truly godly friendship.

We both want to help others find strength in God. It would be a good part of a personal mission statement. Today let us put this into practice in our daily agenda. We all know of weary, discouraged and fearful people like David. Let us help them find strength in God!

Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)