Mephibosheth comes to mind.

Fence work. My husband and I stretched wire this weekend for our new area for the horses. It's long, tiresome, back breaking, on-your-feet kind of work. There isn't much talking happening, and probably for good reason, the more tired we get!

The brain will think of the strangest things when you are exhausted, or maybe your mind is just empty enough that the Spirit of God is able to visit and whisper.

At some point over the weekend, the word Mephibosheth came into my mind. I smiled. It's a funny sort of word. Oh, I knew he was a character out of the bible, didn't know if I was even pronouncing it right, but it wouldn't go away. I'm clipping wire to fence and the word Mephibosheth keeps coming to mind.

I asked my husband if he knew who Mephibosheth was and explained that the name was playing over and over in my head. I suggested that perhaps I should find out who he is.

Mephibosheth: Son of Jonathan (friend of David's), Grandson of Saul (NOT a friend of David's), dropped by his nurse while fleeing in fear from David after the death of Saul and Jonathan, and crippled. I thought about why this was important. Being crippled made him "less than perfect", maybe even "useless" to some. As son of Jonathan, grandson of Saul, he would have been the rightful heir to the throne, but he feared that David would kill him to protect the position.

What did David do instead? He looked for an heir. "And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Sam 9:1) "Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?" (ver 3)

Wow. Is that not a picture of God? He seeks us, as rightful heirs to the kindom, to show us the kindness of God for Jesus' sake.

Oh, it gets better. Mephibosheth was a cripple. What could he give to David? What did he have that David needed? What could he do for David? Not much. Yet it wasn't about what he could DO, but who he KNEW. It was because of what Jonathan had ALREADY done.

I love this!

Then when David had Mephibosheth brought to him, all Mephibosheth could do was fall at his feet. He was in no shape to defend himself, fight, or run. So he only surrendered to what he thought was a vengeful king.

David, however told him to fear not and then restored him to him his position as "son" and heir, and offered him food at the table continually.

How beautiful a picture of grace.

I continue to be blessed and humbled by the revelation of God's love and grace and mercy, hidden in the most unlikely places, in a little story in the Old Testament, about a man with a funny little name.

Mephibosheth comes to mind.