Do you seek God when things are going well? If our lives are running smoothly, we might think we don’t need God.
I thought I was in control of my life, until my first serious health scare, cancer. Then I realized God was my greatest need. Because of my suffering, my faith in God grew, and so did my resilience.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back and manage negative experiences and is one way to stay young and healthy at any age. Suffering grows our faith, which is necessary for resilience. However, it’s so easy to think we can be resilient without God.
The stories of Caleb and Abigail’s resilience in the Bible may not be as well-known as others. However, their stories show us how suffering and faith in God grow our resilience.
Caleb’s story of resilience in the Bible
Often, Moses and Joshua overshadow Caleb in the story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt. Caleb and Joshua were two of twelve spies sent to explore Canaan, the land God promised the Israelites. They were the only two who gave a good report and trusted God’s promises to give them the land (Numbers 14:6-9). The other ten spies were fearful and reported giants inhabited the land (Numbers 13:32-33).
Because of their fear, God sentenced the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years. All the adults died in the desert except Joshua and Caleb. Even though Caleb could have said, “I told you so,” he suffered in the wilderness along with the rest of the Israelites for 40 years. In fact, many of his fellow Jews who just escaped slavery threatened to stone him for his opinions (Numbers 14:10).
When the time came to divide up the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel, the Lord proclaimed Caleb received the blessing of the land “because he has wholly followed the Lord!” (Deuteronomy 1:34-36 ESV).
Caleb used this same phrase, “wholly followed the Lord,” three times in his speech to Joshua (Joshua 14:8-14 ESV). He wholly followed the Lord from age 45 when he was one of the twelve spies, to age 85.
Caleb was faithful and optimistic about the future because he trusted the promises of God. He showed courage in difficult circumstances.
What do we learn from Caleb’s story of resilience in the Bible? Like the Israelites, our circumstances and suffering cause fear and doubt. Faith and obedience are difficult. But Caleb trusted God and wholly followed the Lord his entire life, when others doubted God’s promises and feared the worst.
Abigail’s story of resilience in the Bible
Like Caleb, Abigail showed faith and resilience in difficult circumstances. Her story in 1 Samuel 25 begins with David, God’s anointed King, on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. In desperation, David asks Abigail’s husband, Nabal, for provisions in exchange for protection of Nabal’s men and flocks. Nabal not only refused David, but mocked him and showed contempt by saying, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters” (1 Samuel 25:10 ESV). Nabal’s response angered David so much he vowed to kill Nabal and forcibly get what he and his men needed.
Scripture describes Nabal as “harsh and badly behaved” (1 Samuel 25:3 ESV). It is likely Abigail suffered anger and abuse from her husband, whose name meant “fool.” Abigail described him to David as “this worthless fellow, Nabal” (1 Samuel 25:25 ESV).
When Abigail heard of her husband’s confrontation with the anointed King of Israel, she gathered plenty of food and drink and hurried to David. She humbly bowed down in respect and took all the blame for her husband’s actions. She said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant” (1 Samuel 25:24 ESV).
In addition, she complimented David on his prowess in battle and begged for forgiveness for her husband. Abigail impressed David with her wisdom and beauty, so David accepted the apology and the provisions. When Nabal found out what happened, his heart died within him and then he died later (1 Samuel 25:37, 38). When David asked Abigail to be his wife, she accepted.
What do we learn from Abigail’s story of resilience in the Bible? She showed resilience by thinking and responding quickly in a difficult situation. She was courageous to go behind her husband’s back, risking his rage. Abigail humbly took the guilt for her husband’s mistakes, even though doing so was dangerous. Because of her actions, she could have experienced the wrath of her husband, or even retribution from David and his men.
Conclusion
Friend, I know it’s so difficult going through suffering. We look at our circumstances and wonder how we will survive them. During my cancer treatments, I complained “why me” and wondered if God was punishing me for my mistakes. But now I know He used my suffering to bring me closer to Him because He loves me unconditionally.
Certainly, Jesus is our foremost example of suffering to follow. He obediently went to the cross to die instead of us, to reconcile us with God. Peter wrote, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21 ESV).
Remember, our suffering always has a purpose—to grow our faith and resilience. Will you trust God to use everything in your life for your good, even suffering?
