Clear The Air - Mephibosheth

“You’ve said enough,” David replied. “I’ve decided that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you.” “Give him all of it,” Mephibosheth said. “I am content just to have you safely back again, my lord the king!”

2 Samuel 19:29-30

What is more painful than having an important relationship with a friend, family member, or coworker go sour because of a misunderstanding? So far as you know, you have done nothing to hurt that person, but for some reason, communication is severed and the fellowship you once enjoyed evaporates.

Sometimes all it takes to restore the lost relationship is to go out of your way to clear the air, much as a man named Mephibosheth once did with King David.

Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and the grandson of the late King Saul, had outlived all other heirs to Saul’s dynasty. At one time, David had offered Mephibosheth great kindness, but the relationship between the two soured when Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, told David that his master had abandoned the king when David’s son Absalom attempted to take the throne (see 2 Samuel 16:1-4).

Mephibosheth knew about Ziba’s deception, and after David regained the throne, he traveled to Jerusalem to reconcile with his old friend. Mephibosheth probably trembled with fear as he approached David, but he was determined to risk everything in order to heal the rift between them.

When David heard Mephibosheth’s account, he restored to him half of what he had previously given to Ziba. Mephibosheth cared little about that. He was satisfied with knowing that David had returned to his rightful place on the throne of Israel, and that a once-severed relationship had come back to life.

Has a relationship you once enjoyed gone sour through miscommunication or misunderstanding? If so, what can you do to clear the air? Take a risk by taking the first step, and do what you can to restore the relationship. When you do that, you handle conflict in a godly way.