When waiting is no longer an option
This story is a summary of an old speech of mine, based on the story of Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14. I encourage you to read this Bible passage first to fully understand the story and its context before continuing.
Waiting for divine intervention
The sun beat down relentlessly on the rocky ground of the Israelite camp. In the shadow of a lone tree, Jonathan sat, his gaze fixed on the enemy lines in the distance. Around him, he heard the negative murmuring of discouraged soldiers and the sighs of men who had given up hope. His people were trapped in a hopeless situation—oppressed, powerless, waiting for divine intervention that never came. But Jonathan could no longer stand by idly.
The necessity of action
While many had resigned themselves to their fate, an irrepressible fire raged within Jonathan. It wasn’t a reckless impulse that drove him, but a deep conviction that God’s help far surpassed the circumstances. He harbored a plan—or, rather, he had an unwavering belief that God had a plan.
“We can’t keep waiting until all conditions are favorable,” he whispered to his armor-bearer. “Sometimes it’s essential to simply take an important step.” Every person faces challenges, confrontations, and sometimes hopeless situations. These are the moments that truly matter, when action is expected of you.
This principle, though thousands of years old, remains relevant: don’t passively endure what happens to you, but actively engage in the struggle. In a world full of unexpected changes and challenges—the ‘bumps’ in our path—we have a choice: do we dare to defy these obstacles, or do we stay safely on the sidelines? Just a personal question: What is your biggest “bump” in life right now? Do you dare, like Jonathan, to take that step even if you can’t see the whole way yet?
The consequence of stagnation
Not far from Jonathan sat his father, King Saul, in his tent. Once, Saul was a man of action, a leader who followed God with all his heart. However, success had marked him. Where he previously believed radically, he had now settled into comfort and routine. His heart was no longer fully focused on serving God, but on his own well-being and status.
It was a painful reality: his army was largely unarmed, not only physically but especially spiritually. They had lost their readiness; their sharp faith had devolved into a dutiful tradition in which God played only a limited role.
Saul perfectly illustrated what happens when we trade faith for complacency. When God is moved from the main role to the wings, and we get stuck within the suffocating boundaries of our own comfort zone. Perhaps you also experience this in your own life, the tendency to “trade faith for complacency,” as with King Saul? Then I hope this story will wake you up and urge you to change.
The power of moving forward together
Jonathan, however, was not alone. Beside him stood his armor-bearer—a man whose name is not mentioned, but whose loyalty speaks all the more powerfully. When Jonathan unfolded his daring plan, this faithful companion didn’t hesitate for a moment.
“I am with you,” he simply said. “Wherever your heart leads you.”
In this short exchange lay a profound lesson. Sometimes we are called to lead, sometimes to follow. But always we are called to be part of the solution to a problem. To move forward together, instead of getting bogged down in criticism or rebellion. For even when the opposition seems insurmountable—that ‘chasm’ separating us from our goal—with the right support and attitude, there is always a way to be found. I hope you are an armor-bearer for someone else or that you have an armor-bearer in difficult times?
Faith opens doors
The core of Jonathan’s courage lay not in his own abilities, but in his faith. It wasn’t about him having a ‘great faith,’ but about him believing in a ‘great God.’
This principle was beautifully illustrated centuries later by Roger Bannister, the athlete who in 1954 was the first to run the mile in under four minutes. What had been considered physically impossible for years suddenly proved achievable through self-belief and perseverance. His achievement opened doors for countless others who followed in his footsteps. That’s how faith works. When we doubt what’s possible, we must raise our “shield of faith” and hold on to God’s promises. For without faith—as we learn from this ancient story—it is impossible to please Him.
The condition of commitment
But what does such faith require of us? Jonathan provided the answer through his actions. When the moment came, he literally climbed the steep rock face to the enemy positions on his hands and knees. It was an image of total commitment—a life lived ‘with hands and feet.’
Likewise, our faith demands complete dedication: our time, our talents, our prayer, even our finances. It’s a call to no longer passively watch opportunities pass by or problems remain unresolved, but to act decisively. It asks us to speak “words of faith”—words that confidently declare what God can do, even when the situation seems insurmountable. This demands concrete action from us, a step, however small, to break through a situation you are passively enduring.
The daily invitation
Jonathan’s story is thousands of years old, but the invitation is still relevant: “Take the next bump in your life.”
Whether it’s that disappointment that has been haunting you for months, that setback you can’t seem to overcome, or that feeling of being bound by circumstances you can’t change—the message remains crystal clear: rise up!
Believe that with God’s help, mountains can be moved and the enemy can be defeated. Dare to show your vulnerability, dare to believe despite doubt, and dare to take that next step even if you can’t see the whole way yet.
For just like Jonathan, we discover that the bumps in our lives are often not meant to stop us, but to teach us to fly. Life is full of unexpected twists. The question isn’t whether they will come, but how we choose to stand when they do. What is your next bump? And are you willing, like Jonathan, to take that step?
@wimvanputten