Don't you love it when things are going great and you're living on top of the world? Your boss gave you a raise. You got more back on your income tax than you ever dreamed. Report cards have no C's on them. Your lawn looks like it could be showcased on the Home and Garden channel. Your blood pressure is 110/70 and cholesterol is 170, even though you've been eating chocolate ice cream every night. Your dog hasn't chewed up anything or gone to the bathroom on the carpet for four months. I mean this is the life.

I remember going through a period like that. Those seasons don't come often, do they? But, seriously, I remember telling people how great things were going and listing the blessings in our lives that seemed to show God's favor. And then I remember one day Anita saying, "I wish you wouldn't say those things. You're going to jinx us." She must have been right because that was more than 20 years ago.

Anyway, today we continue our "Slaying Your Giants" series. We're learning lessons from the life of David. We're drawing principles from God's Word that will help us slay the giants in our lives.

In our story today, we discover that David was going through a time in his life when everything was going in his favor. He's finally wearing the crown. The capital city is taking shape. The ark of God has been returned to the tabernacle. He's loaded with gold and silver. His enemies are keeping their distance. His years of running from Saul are over. He can finally have a decent night's rest every night.

Out of the blue, however, something jogs his memory about a promise that he had made to his best friend Jonathan before all the mess with Saul turned completely violent. So he asks, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Samuel 9:1).

Knowing all that the new king went through in his years of fleeing from Saul, dodging literally one spear after another, David's court must have thought he was crazy. What's the big deal? Why in the world would you be asking a question like that? Saul's family is long gone.

But David remembered a pact that he had made with Jonathan years back. Here was the deal. Saul had threatened to kill David. Jonathan promised to help his best friend; and he was successful in doing so. Afterwards in a meeting with David, Jonathan made this request: "If I make it through this alive, continue to be my covenant friend. And if I die, keep the covenant friendship with my family—forever" (1 Sam. 20:14-15, Msg).

Jonathan and his father Saul died in battle at the hands of the Philistines. But David's covenant with Jonathan did not die. Probably most people in David's shoes would never have remembered the covenant. Or if they had, that pact was made years ago. Both were young and idealistic. Certainly, it would be okay just to skip over the agreement. After all, all of Saul's family is pretty much dead and gone. Who would even know?

Fulfilling this covenant with Jonathan was a big deal to David. In the Bible we find many giants he faced. Today's story in your mind may not qualify as a giant. But being a promise keeper was a giant that David had to confront and slay. He made a promise. And he planned to keep it.

If you don't think the promise qualifies as a giant, consider the promises some of you have made. On your wedding day you promised your husband/wife that you were making a commitment to the marriage that would last a lifetime. But through the years your partner has changed. He/she is not the same person you married. Can you keep your promise?

You promised you would take care of your parents when they grew old. Now, keeping that promise is costing you a lot of money and is interfering with your career and is draining you of energy. Will you keep that promise?

What about the promise you made to raise your children in a godly Christian home and bring them to church every Sunday? But now Christ doesn't even seem to reside in your home. Will you keep that promise? Or what if your kids turn out bad and rebellious? Or what if he gets hooked on drugs or comes out of the closet? What about the promise then?

Yes, promises can become the giants that we face. No one in David's court knew of a living descendent of Jonathan. But one did know of Ziba, one of Saul's servants who was still alive. Maybe he could get them started in the right direction. So they fetched Ziba and brought him before David. The king asked him if he knew of any of Saul's relatives who were still alive. Notice his response: "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet" (9:3). No name given. Just a description that he has a handicapped tag on his car. He's crippled.

Let's go back a few chapters and see what we can learn about this son. What was his name? How did he end up crippled? In 2 Samuel 4 we learn that his name was Mephibosheth. Last week James announced that his first son would be named Benaiah. I think his second son ought to be named Mephibosheth. He was five years old when word came that his father Jonathan and his grandfather Saul were killed in battle. The nurse who kept Mep decided she better grab the child and flee in order to escape the wrath of the Philistines. While running, she accidentally dropped Mep, breaking both of his ankles and leaving him lame for the rest of his life.

She took him to Lo Debar, a little, obscure town way out in the middle of nowhere, and found a safe place to live. Now think for a moment about Mephibosheth. He was in line to be king—Saul, Jonathan, Mephibosheth. He was permanently injured in an accident. He's living in a desolate town far from his homeland. And he has to stay incognito out of fear for his life—fear of the Philistines and now fear of David as well.

One day there was a knock at Mep's door. It was a stranger. One of David's employees. He informs the handicapped man that David wants to see him. I wonder what must have been going through his mind. One thing is for certain. His whereabouts have been discovered. He probably thought the worst. "I'm going to die."

Let's see what happens when Mep is brought before the King David. First, David puts him at ease and tells him not to be afraid. Then he proceeds to tell him how he was going to fulfill a covenant that he had made with his father Jonathan. First, he would give him all the land that had belonged to Saul. Second, he would dine with the king everyday. From rags to riches. From hiding to open praise. David was filthy rich. He could have just sent Mep $10 million and he would have kept his promise.

What did Mep do to deserve this attention? Absolutely nothing. Did he impress David? No. Did he threaten David? No. That is what makes this story so beautiful. David doesn't display kindness because Mep is deserving. He shows kindness because of a promise. And that promise was enduring.

The grace factor gets even better. We don't hear anything about Mep for 15 years. Then his name appears during Absalom's rebellion against his father David. His son's rebellion forced him to flee Jerusalem with only a handful of friends. Mep was not with him. Ziba was with him and reported to David that Mep had sided with Absalom. After the rebellion ended and Absalom was dead, David returned to Jerusalem and Mep gives him a version of the story that differed from Ziba's. Who was lying? And who was telling the truth? The Bible doesn't tell us. But to David it didn't matter. Mep would still be a part of the royal company.

How could David be so loyal when Mep offered so little to the covenant agreement? If you were to ask David, he'd probably tell the story of God's covenant. God never reneges on His promises. From Genesis to Revelation we can trace the scarlet thread of His covenant. His covenant is binding, and He will never turn away from it. With Noah he provided a rainbow as a sign of His covenant. He told Abraham that his descendants would number like the stars in the skies. Then he passed between divided animal carcasses as a symbol to secure the oath.

For another story to prove how seriously God takes His promises, take a look at Hosea. God ordered him to marry a prostitute named Gomer. He did so. She gave birth to three children—none of them belonged to Hosea. She left him and went back to the life of a hooker. She reached rock bottom and ended up in the auction pit to be sold as a slave. Guess who paid the price? Hosea. He bought her back and then brought her back home.

Why did he do it? Read for yourself. "Then God ordered me, ‘Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who's in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife. Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people, even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy.' I did it. I paid good money to get her back. It cost me the price of a slave" (Hosea 3:1-2, Msg).

Max Lucado beautifully shows how Mephibosheth serves as a symbol of our lives. He was born a rightful heir to the throne. Each of us is born as a child of the Creator King. Mep fell victim to a terrible fall, crippling him for life. Because Adam and Eve fell, so do we. We are crippled by the effects of sin. Mep had to live in a desolate foreign land. Haven't each of us had our own experiences of living in the wilderness of Lo Debar? A messenger came to bring Mep to the king. Thank God that someone was willing to point us to the king. Who was your messenger? A mom or dad? A Sunday School teacher? A pastor? A friend?

God has a place for you at His table. Why? Is it because of your IQ? No. Is it because of your prestigious job? No. Is it because of your good family roots? No. Is it because you're an exceptional person? No. The invitation to God's table has nothing at all to do with you. It has all to do with God.

God promises eternal life to all who are willing to accept His invitation to come sit at His table. He is the ultimate Promise Keeper. The fact that He is the ultimate Promise Keeper should inspire you to keep your promises.

In no way would I ever try to minimize the hurt and pain that your circumstances have caused you. If your spouse has left you, there's probably not a thing you can do to bring him/her back. If your husband is beating you, you probably should get out. With your rebellious children, sometimes you have to practice tough love and say, "You're not coming home again." Or, "I'm not bailing you out this time."

All I'm asking you to do is to do everything you possibly can to keep the promises that you have made. Maybe you can give it one more try? Why should you? To help you understand more fully the depths of God's love for you. When you love the person who is undeserving or when you love the person who has hurt you and damaged you, then you're getting a glimpse of how God loves you.

God doesn't want you just to understand His love. He wants you to illustrate His love. David illustrated God's love by taking in Mephibosheth. Hosea illustrated it by buying back his prostitute wife. I saw my mom do it for years with my alcoholic father. Anita and I hopefully did it by never giving up on our wayward, addicted son. Kenny did it by loving a fellow named Wes. He kept ministering and kept ministering till he finally helped raise the money to put his family in a new home last week and then made arrangements for him to be placed in the Faith Home. I've seen many of you illustrate it as you cared for aging or dying parents, people who could give nothing in return.

If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you're on your way to heaven. But don't ever forget, it is all grace. Nothing but all-sufficient grace. God keeps His covenant. He is the ultimate Promise Keeper. Now what can you do to illustrate that you are a promise keeper as well?