There comes a time in all of our lives when the Lord convicts our hearts, and we must choose whether we will serve Him or not. But at that time, He will have made Himself known to us and proven that He is worthy of our faith. Once we choose to follow Him, He uses us for the furthering of His kingdom.
In this chapter, Elijah asks how long the people of Israel will straddle the fence, worshipping both God and Baal. Then, God proves that He was the One worth choosing, and He does the same for us today.
Obadiah’s Faithfulness - 1 Kings 18:1-16
After three years of drought, God told Elijah to go to Ahab. Then He would finally send rain. So, Elijah went looking for Ahab and found Obadiah, the man over the king’s household, not the person who wrote the book of Obadiah in the Bible. He and Ahab had split up in search of water and green grass for the king’s horses and mules. The famine had gotten so severe that Ahab feared he would lose some of his animals if he couldn’t find somewhere for them to graze. When Obadiah saw Elijah, he fell on his face, asking if it was really him. Elijah confirmed his identity and asked Obadiah to go tell Ahab that he had returned.
Obadiah felt like it was a punishment to be asked to go to the king with such a message. The king had been searching for Elijah ever since he told Ahab it would not rain again until he called for it. Everywhere the king looked, he made the people swear they had not seen Elijah. If Obadiah told Ahab where the prophet was, and then the Spirit of the Lord carried Elijah away again for his safety (1 Kings 17:1-3), Obadiah would be killed. As a devoted follower, he had already risked his life for 100 prophets of God by hiding them in two caves when the queen was trying to kill them, feeding and caring for them there. If Elijah wasn’t there when he brought the king to meet the prophet, Ahab would certainly kill him. But Elijah promised he would not leave that place, so Obadiah went to get the king.
It’s incredible that Obadiah remained devoted to the Lord while in the service of a king who worshipped other gods and even killed God’s prophets. He was obviously glad to see Elijah, but he was not excited about telling the king. He had already risked his life to save the lives of 100 prophets of God. So, why was he being asked to risk his life again?
Have you ever felt like you have already risked enough, sacrificed enough, worked hard enough for the Lord, though more is still being asked of you? Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t choose someone else for a change? Sometimes it feels like God is asking us to do more than we think we can or more than is fair when we look at the sacrifices of other believers. In those times, like Obadiah, we must trust in the Lord. If He has called us to it, He will lead us through it. He will give us the tools, abilities, and strength to do what He asks of us (1 Thessalonians 5:24; Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 1:6, 2:13; 2 Corinthians 9:8). Though it can be hard, we should consider it an honor to be called by God for His purposes (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 1:9). So, when you hear the Lord’s call, trust and rely on Him. He will see you through (Psalm 37:5).
