by Sandy Domelle
There will be times in life when each of us will face a crisis.
Our children need to see that we have the wisdom to know how to handle a crisis when it comes. Whether it is a life struggle, a home emergency, or a sickness or death, how we handle the crisis will give stability and comfort to our children. This will prepare them for their futures and will show them how to manage a crisis in their lives that will surely come one day.
In I Samuel 25 is found the story of Abigail, who was a lady who wisely handled a crisis that saved her family’s life. When her husband was not wise enough to treat David and his men kindly, she was smart enough to handle the crisis without making her husband look bad. Here are several thoughts from her life that will help us in a crisis.
She was a wise woman.
If we want to have the wisdom to help in any situation, we must be in God’s Word. I love studying the word wisdom in the Bible because God gives us so many verses to help us to understand how to obtain the wisdom we need. Her wisdom was evident in a crisis. She did not have time to talk it over with others; she had to act quickly. That is why it is so important to have a consistent walk with God. When a life crisis comes at us without warning, we will need wisdom to deal with it. There will be times when we must make spur-of-the-moment decisions. It is in those split seconds of time that the most critical decisions are made. Abigail did not have time to sit and to ponder; she had to make a decision immediately.
She was bold.
David was a powerful man who easily could have destroyed her family. Abigail was wise enough to act boldly in order to protect her family and David’s reputation. David commented on her wise boldness in verses 32-33 by saying, …Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. There are times when we must be bold, but as ladies we must be wise enough not to allow our boldness to usurp a man’s authority.
She brought peace to the situation.
Her wisdom brought peace to this stressful situation. Verse 35 says, So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. When our children begin arguing and fighting, as they often do, we must have enough wisdom to stop the skirmishes to keep peace in our homes. We will bring harmony to our marriages if we are wise in handling disagreements with our husbands. Instead of using sharp words or losing our tempers when tense situations arise, we must be wise with our responses. We must determine to be the peacemakers and not to be the instigators.
She thought quickly and moved on her decision.
Her decision was life or death for her family, and she was willing to stand strong when her husband was weak and did not care. Let us consider, “When my husband is not strong, do I still stand strong? Am I wise enough to move without making my husband feel inferior?” We can still handle situations and be submissive to our husbands’ leadership if we learn how to think quickly and how to make wise decisions. Proverbs 2:6 says, For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. If we read God’s Word daily, we will find that God’s wisdom gives us the understanding to make the right decisions during our crises.
She knew how to diffuse the situation.
Abigail was wise enough to gather the food for David and his men, which was what diffused the heated situation. Proverbs 13:10 says, Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Let us consider, “Do I ask God for His wisdom to diffuse those contentious situations?” Saying the right thing at the right time can stop a crisis situation. Proverbs 25:11 says, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Our words must be that “word fitly spoken” by using God’s wisdom to diffuse those situations that will harm our families.
There will be times when our husbands will not be there to handle the crises. In those times, we must be wise enough to handle the situations ourselves. We can only gain that wisdom by spending time with God.
Abigail was a strong woman who knew how to use her strength and wisdom during a crisis. She did not undermine her husband’s authority by acting angry and brash, but instead handled the situation with grace and dignity.