Who's your armour bearer?

This week I've been thinking through the story of Jonathan and his armour bearer (1 Samuel 14:1-14), and have been struck by their relationship.The one word that I would use to describe their relationship is trust.

It's more than how what we tend to understand the word trust though. It's not just about being trustworthy like with personal information, it's a complete confidence, reliability and certainty.

Jonathan and his armour bearer clearly have great trust, great faith in one another, they have an understanding of each other's character that's withstood some testing. They know the other is reliable, they depend on each other, they literally have each other's backs. They will defend one another, protect each other, and work together. They are a team. Success isn't built on one of them it's both working in their own capacity with the assurance of the other at his side. 

Isn't that incredible? I want a friendship like that. Can you imagine doing life with someone like that? Someone who's totally reliable and with you 100%.

One thing I love about this story is how the armour bearer completely trusts Jonathan even when he suggests doing something crazy - Like the two of them, with one sword between them going against 20-30 philistines! That's undeniable, completely crazy trust! He is with Jonathan no matter what. He even says, 'I am with you heart and soul' You can't be much more onside than that! They are all in together. 

In this relationship it's perfect teamwork, there's no worry about who's stronger or who does the most, they have their own system. In this instance, Jonathon goes first, cuts the enemy down and the armour bearer finishes them off. It wouldn't of been a victory unless they both played their part. Both had an essential element to play in this victory, both took their place, worked hard and succeeded. Their skills complimented each other's. 

In this life there will be challenges to face. Who's going to be your armour bearer? Who has your confidence? Your trust? Who can you completely rely on when things get difficult or a bit crazy? Who's going to be with you whether you fail or succeed?

When you've got someone like this armour bearer with you, it's easier to tackle life's challenges, it's easier to take a risk. When someone is with you, 'heart and soul' they are all in. They have you no matter what. They are not going to back out, they will risk their very life for you.

Who's your armour bearer?