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And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
2 Samuel 9:3

Life changes in an instant and it’s no respecter of common folk or nobility. In mere seconds, life can make a 360- degree shift, through no fault of our own. It is during dream shattering moments we need to be looking up because our King is never far off. He will be searching for His children.

The second book of Samuel has a powerful account of a life ravaged by tragedy and restored by a King.

Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul, and the son of Jonathan, the beloved friend of David, the giant slayer. (After Mephibosheth’s father was killed, his life changed drastically when he was being rushed to safety, his servant dropped him. As a result, he walked with a limp for the rest of his days. )

His story isn’t exactly like mine, but it isn’t hard to empathize with the devastating details. In the blink of an eye, my whole world changed too. I often liken moving forward in this life as walking with a limp.

At the beginning, there was an abundance of people tending to my needs like Mephibosheth’s servants did for him and it helped tame the wiles of uncertainty. However, as time passed into weeks, months and years the hovering stopped and the uncertainty remained. Mephibosheth must have experienced similar bouts of uncertainty as well. He must have longed for family connections and the love of a father.

The journey of loss offers us moments we have to endure without the presence of individuals surrounding us. It’s one of the most difficult aspects of walking on this path, but it is necessary and it doesn’t go unnoticed by our King.

In the midst of this devastation we walk through, remember, our King is never far off. God may seem silent at times, but we’re never forgotten. God remembers the promises He’s made to the people who have gone on before us and He “administers justice and equality to all his people.” Our God invites us to sit at His table and share His bounty as daughters and sons.

David remembered his promise to Jonathan approximately eight years after he was crowned King of all Israel and he went seeking out Jonathan’s household. The King went seeking out Mephibosheth.

Read the sentence again. The King went seeking out Mephibosheth and

He found him!

He restored the land of Mephibosheth’s descendants to him and gave him the right to sit and eat at the King’s table. He humbly accepted this act of generosity from the King. Although he was unsure about his own worthiness, he received the gift and from that day forward he enjoyed the benefits of being adopted into the King’s family.

Mephibosheth’s life displays so much truth about how our Heavenly Father provides and pursues us throughout our lives and more so in the midst of our loneliest times. Our King is never far off; He seeks us out until He finds us and offers us a place at His table. His provision for us is out of this world perfection and He loves to keep His promises to us.

Dear Heavenly Father, As we remember the great gift of Your son during this Christmas season, please remind us, You are never far off. You see the struggles all of us face as we have one less at our table and we pray Your peace would cover us. Help us to remember this is not the end. Love wins. We win. In Your Mighty Name, amen.