Lord, Please Send out Many Abigails

Read: Romans 3:10-20; 1 Samuel 25:2-35

The first news story I heard this morning concerned yet another shooting. More sorrowing families along with the grief borne by the loved ones of Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe, the two National Guard members who were shot earlier this week. If we may, let's pause to pray for these families who are a picture of so many others who are carrying this heavy load of grief.

Lord, You know the name of each loved one who is related to both the National Guard members and the loved ones of the ones killed in the mall shooting. Please bring comforters and helpers into their lives, and most of all, make Yourself known to those who do not yet belong to You. May they know the love of the One Whom we celebrate at both Christmas and Easter, Amen.

Sometimes after we as a country experience acts of violence and cruelty, we wonder. Why do these things happen, and how can someone plan an act that seems so unfathomable? Is it possible that we have forgotten some of the warnings that the scriptures teach us? For example, we have been warned by the Creator/Redeemer that in contrast to what we have heard, we are not basically good. Let's start by reminding ourselves that we each enter the world with our backs turned away from God, Romans 3:10-20. We all need a Savior. The Only Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah. Without Him, the picture of who we are is truly ugly. For example, the passage in Romans 3 speaks of our speech having a stench of an open grave. If that weren't enough, the same passage says that we rush to do evil.  Both our speech and actions have a very bad potential. Not that we always speak and act in a reprehensible way; in fact, sometimes we are kind and tender in word and action, but given the "right circumstances", we are capable of evil.

Let's look at David. The Sweet Singer of Israel as an example. When we meet David in 1 Samuel 25, his mentor Samuel has just died, and Israel has mourned the loss of their last judge, 1 Samuel 25:1. David has been fleeing from King Saul because Saul wanted to kill him. Saul was jealous of David because David had been anointed as the next king of Israel. The handwriting was on the wall, and Saul wanted to erase it. That is why David and his men had been out in the wilderness caring for Nabal's sheep. They were doing what was necessary to meet their every-day needs. The story begins on a happy note. It was sheep shearing time. A time of plenty and joy, and because David and his men had watched over Nabal's sheep, David sent men to receive the customary remuneration. He sent his men with gracious words. Greetings and humility mark his speech. After all, they had watched over Nabal's sheep with diligence, and Nabal's men would attest to that. All of a sudden, it was as if someone threw ice water into David's face. The "greeting" from Nabal that David's men brought back was anything but gracious. Ugly words that said that no food for David's men would be forthcoming, and Nabal spoke disparagingly of David. David's reaction was nothing like the gracious words that fell from his lips at the first. Every man was told to strap on his sword. Revenge was the order of the day. There would likely have been a slaughter of Nabal and his men if it weren't for the preemptive work of God Who sent Abigail to David. Oh, what a gracious God we have! We'll save Abigail's words for another time. Their wisdom and beauty match her own strength and loveliness. Suffice it to say that David listened to Abigail's reminders concerning God's goodness and power, and he squelched his plan to murder all the males in Nabal's household.

When Jesus gifted us with new birth, John 3:3, we received not only wondrous forgiveness and cleansing but also power over sin. Yes, we continue to fight against flesh patterns, but we long, because we are new creations, to please the Lord with our actions and reactions. From the incident with David and Nabal, we are reminded that we too are vulnerable. We can easily forget that God doesn't need our "help" to make things right. It is so easy to react rather than respond; however, we're not alone. No wonder we need each other because sometimes, we need an Abigail, and sometimes, God sends us as an Abigail for someone else.

Lord, please send Abigails out. People who will help by speaking humbly and graciously and remind others of Your faithfulness.