Have you ever been wronged? Maybe someone accused you of something you did not do. Or someone excluded you from a group for no apparent reason? Perhaps they spoke poorly of you to others? Whatever the circumstances, I am sure a situation springs to mind.

The sting of persecution and the ensuing sense of injustice is painful. We have little control over what others say or do and this can leave us feeling powerless. Leading to feelings of frustration and anger that rob our day of joy.

Our normal human reaction is to let those who hurt us know about it. Sometimes we lash out, serving up our brand of justice. If we are non-confrontational, we give them the good old silent treatment.

What we need in moments like this is wisdom – not human wisdom, although this often helps us make good choices, it can hinder us from making Godly choices.

What is the difference? Godly wisdom means that we lay down our ideas for God’s. We replace our good thoughts with God’s greater thoughts. When we do this it helps us to discern which battles to fight so that we can walk fully in the purposes of God for our lives.

Isaiah captured this in chapter 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” God reminds us that how we think about life, isn’t how He does. It is reasonable then to consider that before we respond to a situation and potentially make it worse, we should check in with God.

God’s wisdom affords us great protection, not only from others but ultimately from ourselves. We can see this played out in the life of David in 1 Samuel 25.

David was a warrior. We often think of him as a King but his ‘real’ calling was as a warrior. From the time he was young he fought many enemies. He battled bears, lions and giants! (1 Samuel 17:34-36 NIV) Yet, even this strong and mighty man of God had to learn to cool his heels and let God fight his battles for him on a couple of occasions.

One of these times God spoke to him through a wise and brave woman, named Abigail. A long story short, Abigail’s husband had deeply offended David when he and his men had done them a good deed. Nabal, whose name means ‘fool’, was wealthy and loathsome. Full of arrogance and disrespect, he endangered his entire household by upsetting the man that had killed tens of thousands of men (1 Samuel 18:7 NIV).

The scene races towards a mighty clash of two strong-willed men and it is only the voice of wisdom in the delightful Abigail that adverts the disaster. She quickly gathers gifts and goes out to meet David. In the exchange between them, we can see the powerful protection of wisdom at work.

Abigail approaches the enraged David in humility. The word humility means ‘low’ which is physically what Abigail does, she bows before David and speaks humbly to him. Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) says that “when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Humility and wisdom go hand in hand. When we encounter a tricky situation, Abigail shows us how to be heard. Humility does not mean we must shrink back but rather it gives us the strength to step up with a Godly solution in a Godly manner.

Using her knowledge of the scriptures, she reminds David of his role. Although a great warrior, David had been commissioned to fight on God’s behalf (1 Samuel 25:28 NIV), not his own. When we operate on God’s behalf it does not mean that we can do whatever we please. David was the anointed of God but he still was under the law of God. If he had taken Nabal’s life out of revenge he would have broken the covenant (Exodus 20:13 NIV) and committed unsanctioned murder. The wisdom of God speaks through Abigail as she reminds David that as a person of the covenant, God would protect Him. He did not need to fight every battle himself. 

When we walk according to God’s ways it affords us blessing and protection from God. As we honour him, even when we are dishonoured by others, He will fight on our behalf because he cares deeply for his people. We are in a covenant relationship with him because of Jesus. He cares about what happens to us and wants us to walk in protection and blessing.

As David responds to Abigail’s prudent words, his heart awakens to the truth of the situation and he chooses to swallow his pride. David realises that this rash moment of anger could hamper his future as King. He chooses to likewise bow in humility to God’s higher ways and trust that God will fight this battle for him - which He does. It is during this encounter that David’s character develops and he learns how to deal with his anger and how to approach the difficult situation he faces with King Saul.

Each one of us had a purpose in God, and the enemy knows it. He plays the short game, trying to trip us up and keep us from reaching our potential in God but when we listen to the wisdom of God, it brings us into the truth of the situation and sets us free to live as God intended us to live, for the long game of eternity.

As we come across situations where we feel poorly done by remember to turn to God and ask for his wisdom. Don’t allow the Nabal’s to bring out the worst in you, rather listen to the beautiful wise voice of the Abigail’s. When we trust in God to come through for us, we honour the work of Jesus on the cross. This was the greatest act of humility, His sacrifice on the cross was where God showed us how far He will go to fight for us. Let Him keep fighting for you every day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charissa Steffens is a writer, teacher, and former editor-in-chief of Indulge Magazine. She hosts the podcast Abiding Matter with Charissa Steffens on Charisma Podcast Network and writes for various online Christian publications. She holds a Bachelor of Business, Post Graduate Diploma in Education, and a Masters of Art (Biblical Studies). Charissa loves to write and share using prophetic wisdom and biblical understanding. To contact Charissa or learn more visit her website Abiding Matters.