The book of 1 Samuel includes a lesser-known story of David, the future king of Israel, and a woman named Abigail.
After Samuel’s death, David and his men turned away from King Saul, who was seeking David’s life. They tended the flocks and the servants of a rich man named Nabal, who was petty. David sent 10 of his men to greet Nabal and request much-needed food and supplies.
Nabal responded to David’s request with insults and sent his men away empty-handed.
Offended, David prepared his men to go up against Nabal and his house, saying, “He has returned evil for good.” Abigail quickly gathered the necessary food and supplies and went to intercede.
When Abigail found him, “he fell on his face before David, and fell to the ground,
“And falling at his feet, he said: Upon me, my lord, let this iniquity be upon me. …
“Now therefore… Jehovah has prevented you from coming to shed blood, and avenging yourself with your own hand. …
“…Now then, this blessing that your servant has brought to my lord, leave it even to the young. …
“I beg you to forgive the offense of your servant. …
“And David said to Abigail: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today.
“And blessed be your counsel, and blessed be you, who have prevented me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand. …
“Then David took from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, Go up to your house in peace; … I have listened to your voice, and I have accepted your person”2.
They both left in peace.
In this story, Abigail can be seen as a powerful type or symbol of Jesus Christ.3 Through His atoning sacrifice, He can free us from sin and the weight of a warring heart and provide us with the sustenance we need.4
Just as Abigail was willing to take on Nabal’s sin, so the Savior, in an incomprehensible way, took on Himself our sins and the sins of those who have hurt or offended us.5 In Gethsemane and on the cross, He claimed These sins made a way for us to let go of a vengeful heart. That “way” is through forgiveness, which can be one of the hardest things we do and one of the most divine things we experience. On the path of forgiveness, the atoning power of Jesus Christ can flow into our lives and begin to heal the deep cracks in our hearts and souls.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught that the Savior offers us the ability to forgive:
“Through His infinite Atonement, you can forgive those who have hurt you and who may never accept responsibility for their cruelty to you.
“It is usually easy to forgive someone who sincerely and humbly seeks your forgiveness. But the Savior will grant you the ability to forgive anyone who has wronged you in any way. Then his harmful acts will no longer be able to harm your soul.”6
Abigail’s bringing an abundance of food and supplies can teach us that the Savior offers those who have been hurt and hurt the sustenance and help we need to heal and be whole.7 We are not allowed to face the consequences of actions of others. on our behalf; we too can be healed and have the opportunity to be saved from the weight of a warring heart and any action that may follow.
The Lord has said, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I forgive, but it is required of you that you forgive all men.”8 The Lord requires that we forgive for our own good.9 But He does not ask us to forgive. do it without his help, his love, his understanding. Through our covenants with the Lord, each of us can receive the strengthening power, guidance, and help we need to both forgive and be forgiven.
Keep in mind that forgiving someone does not mean putting yourself in a position where you will continue to be hurt. “We can strive to forgive someone and still feel prompted by the Spirit to stay away from that person”10.
Just as Abigail helped David not have a “heart offense”11 and get the help he needed, so the Savior will help you. He loves you and meets you on your way “with healing on his wings” 12. He wants your peace.
I have personally witnessed the miracle of Christ healing my warring heart. With my father’s permission, I share with you that I grew up in a home where I did not always feel safe due to emotional and verbal abuse. In my youth and young adult years, I resented my father and had anger in my heart because of that pain.
Over the years and in my efforts to find peace and healing in the path of forgiveness, I came to realize profoundly that the same Son of God who atoned for my sins is the same Redeemer who will also save those who have deeply hurt. me. I really couldn’t believe the first truth without believing the second.
As my love for the Savior grows, so does my desire to replace pain and anger with His healing balm. It has been a process of many years that requires courage, vulnerability, perseverance and learning to trust in the divine power of the Savior to save and heal. I still have work to do, but my heart is no longer on the warpath. I have been given “a new heart”13, one that has felt the deep and abiding love of a personal Savior, who stood by me, who gently and patiently led me to a better place, who wept with me, who met my pain .
The Lord has sent me compensatory blessings just as Abigail brought what David needed. He has sent mentors into my life. And the sweetest and most transformative of all has been my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Through Him, I have gratefully known the tender love, protection and guidance of a perfect Father.
Elder Richard G. Scott said, “You cannot erase what has been done, but you can forgive.14 Forgiveness heals terrible and tragic wounds because it allows God’s love to purge your heart and mind of the poison of hate. Clear your conscience of the desire for revenge. It gives rise to the purifying, healing and restoring love of the Lord.”15
My earthly father has also had a miraculous change of heart in recent years and has turned to the Lord, something he would not have foreseen in this life. Another testimony for me of the complete and transforming power of Jesus Christ.
I know that He is able to heal the sinner and those who have been sinned against. He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, who gave his life so that we can live again. He said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”16.
To all who are brokenhearted, captive, bruised, and perhaps blinded by pain or sin, He offers healing, recovery, and deliverance. I testify that the healing and recovery He offers is real. The moment of that healing is individual and we cannot judge another person’s moment. It is important to allow ourselves the time to heal and be kind to ourselves in the process. The Savior is always merciful and attentive and he is ready to provide the help we need.17
On the path of forgiveness and healing lies the choice not to perpetuate unhealthy patterns or relationships in our families or elsewhere. To all within our influence, we can offer kindness for cruelty, love for hate, gentleness for abrasiveness, safety for affliction, and peace for contention.
Giving what has been denied you is a powerful part of divine healing made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. To live in such a way that you give, as Isaiah has said, beauty to the ashes of your life18 is an act of faith that follows the supreme example of a Savior who suffered all in order to help all.
Joseph of Egypt lived a life with ashes. He was hated by his brothers, betrayed, sold into slavery, unjustly imprisoned and forgotten by someone he had promised to help. However, he trusted the Lord. “The Lord was with Joseph” 19 and he consecrated his trials for his own blessing and growth, and for the salvation of his family and all of Egypt.
When Joseph met his brothers as a great leader in Egypt, his forgiveness and refined perspective were manifested in the gracious words he spoke:
“Now, then, do not be sad or angry with yourselves for having sold me here; for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. …
“So now it was not you who sent me here, but God.”20
Through the Savior, Joseph’s life became “beautiful ashes”21.
BYU President Kevin J Worthen has said that God “can cause good to come … not only from our successes but also from our failures and the failures of others that cause us pain. God is that good and that powerful.”22
I testify that the greatest example of love and forgiveness is that of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who in bitter agony said, “Father, forgive them; because they don’t know what they’re doing.”23
I know that our Heavenly Father wants kindness and hope for each of His children. In Jeremiah we read: “For I know the thoughts that I think about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace.”24
Jesus Christ is your personal Messiah, your loving Redeemer and Savior, who knows the pleas of your heart. He wishes for your healing and happiness. He loves you. He cries with you in your sorrows and he rejoices to heal you. May we take heart and take his loving hand that is always outstretched25 as we walk the healing path of forgiveness, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Source: news.google.com