(Read and Follow the Directions)

In the chapters I read today (Alma 17-22), there are a lot of people falling down because they are overcome by the Spirit. I confess I don’t really comprehend that whole business, but I think that when Abish, the queen’s handmaid, saw the queen overcome by the Spirit, as well as everyone else in the household, she must have been so excited to think that finally there would be other people who believed in God like she did.

I love Abish’s hope and bravery. No wonder she ran to tell others. She probably hoped there would be a pandemic of people falling down, overcome by the Spirit. It must have sorrowed her greatly to see that their first impulse was to kill the missionary who brought them the good news of Heavenly Father’s plan for their happiness and salvation. And yet, just when she might have cowered and tried to hide from the threatening mob, she steps forward and takes the queen’s hand and asks her to waken from her vision. That’s a lot of bravery and trust which then resulted in many other people being taught the gospel by their king and queen.

Book of Mormon, Alma 17-22

Alma 19:15 – Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon. 16 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 17 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.