The Weight of Faithful Goodbyes

1 Samuel 20-22 | Psalm 34: 1-3 | Matthew 10:34-39

Some of the hardest choices I’ve ever made in my walk with God have come with a cost: losing closeness with people I loved, disappointing expectations, or stepping away from comfort zones that once felt like home.

Whether it was choosing integrity over approval, truth over tradition, or the narrow road instead of the easy one, faith has often asked me to let go before I could understand why.

Jesus warned us that following Him wouldn’t always bring peace with people; He would bring a sword. Not to destroy, but to divide. Not to harm, but to refine.

And when faithfulness requires painful separation… we learn what true loyalty looks like.

The Cost of Covenant Faithfulness

In 1 Samuel 20, we see David and Jonathan’s friendship tested by loyalty to God’s plan. Jonathan, the rightful heir to Saul’s throne, knows that David is God’s chosen king. And instead of clinging to power or position, he chooses faithfulness.

But that faithfulness costs him something.
It means defying his father.
It means heartbreak in goodbye.
It means walking back into a household where the truth has shattered the peace.

In 1 Samuel 21–22, David’s path gets lonelier. He’s running, hiding, misunderstood. The priest Ahimelek helps him and ends up murdered for it. The cost of being aligned with God’s anointed is steep.

And yet, in the middle of the fleeing and the fear, Psalm 34 is born:

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips… Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
(Psalm 34:1,3)

David worships, not because life is easy, but because God is worthy.

And Jesus echoes this in Matthew 10, reminding us that allegiance to Him may bring division, even in families.

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”
(v. 38)

He isn’t asking for conflict, but He is asking for clarity.
Who will we choose when faithfulness costs us everything else?

Sometimes the hardest part of obedience is what it takes from you, but God sees, God honors, and God stays.

The goodbyes you’ve whispered in the name of faith? He caught every one.
The lonely places? He fills them.
The cost? He counts it, and so should we.

Is there a relationship, role, or comfort God is asking you to surrender in order to follow Him more fully?
Don’t let fear hold you hostage. Say the hard yes. Walk the narrow road.
And praise Him in the letting go because nothing surrendered to Him is ever wasted.

Lord,
You know how hard it is to let go.
To lose things (people, places, peace) in the name of faithfulness.
Help me trust that You are worth it all.
When the road is lonely, let Your presence be louder than my pain.
Teach me to bless You at all times, and follow You wherever You lead.
Amen.