"And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—
Thus, having been converted to the Lord, and never having made it known, therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people."
Alma 19:16-17
I've always loved the story of Abish. It's pretty short, and we don't get any more detail about her background, but it shows, I think, the miracle of everyday people. We don't know the name of Abish's father, but we know he had a vision. God was working, as always, with anyone willing to listen to him. She lived in a society that was hostile to her faith, but she stayed true, and when this miracle and opportunity came along, she was in tune enough with the spirit to recognize what it was and act on it.
Abish comes back into the narrative very briefly again in verse 28 as she gets back from gathering everyone, and sees that they are fighting. She cries, and we understand her tears, because she was just trying to do good and help people, and she worries that she has made things worse. She then helps to restore sanity to the situation, not by giving a speech or bearing her own testimony, but by awaking the queen from whatever vision or paralyzing joy had overtaken her. (The queen is amazing too, but that is a different topic.)
Today, let's remember that we don't have to be in the spotlight to make a difference. Living our lives in a good way, and setting a good example matters. We don't have to be better, stronger, faster, or any other superlatives in order to matter to God and to be important in the world. We can all make an impact. Let's remember Abish and live our lives doing good and staying close to the spirit--not demanding attention or high position, but always ready to do as God asks when opportunities arise.
Thus, having been converted to the Lord, and never having made it known, therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people."
Alma 19:16-17
I've always loved the story of Abish. It's pretty short, and we don't get any more detail about her background, but it shows, I think, the miracle of everyday people. We don't know the name of Abish's father, but we know he had a vision. God was working, as always, with anyone willing to listen to him. She lived in a society that was hostile to her faith, but she stayed true, and when this miracle and opportunity came along, she was in tune enough with the spirit to recognize what it was and act on it.
Abish comes back into the narrative very briefly again in verse 28 as she gets back from gathering everyone, and sees that they are fighting. She cries, and we understand her tears, because she was just trying to do good and help people, and she worries that she has made things worse. She then helps to restore sanity to the situation, not by giving a speech or bearing her own testimony, but by awaking the queen from whatever vision or paralyzing joy had overtaken her. (The queen is amazing too, but that is a different topic.)
Today, let's remember that we don't have to be in the spotlight to make a difference. Living our lives in a good way, and setting a good example matters. We don't have to be better, stronger, faster, or any other superlatives in order to matter to God and to be important in the world. We can all make an impact. Let's remember Abish and live our lives doing good and staying close to the spirit--not demanding attention or high position, but always ready to do as God asks when opportunities arise.
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