In 1 Kings 18, there are two men of God. They have radically different personalities and backgrounds. Yet they both served the Lord faithfully at great personal expense during a very difficult time in Israel’s history.
Obadiah was like the Chief of Staff to evil King Ahab. He must’ve been urbane, cultured, and ready to serve. He had standing and clout. He used his resources to secretly hide and provide for one hundred of God’s prophets. He protected them from the wrath of evil Queen Jezebel.
One day while he was on duty surveying the land, Obadiah met Elijah. Elijah couldn’t have been more different from Obadiah. Elijah was like a nomadic hermit, part wild man and part wise man.
Both Obadiah and Elijah used their own gifts, skills, and experience to serve God. They each played important roles in God’s redemption plan. Elijah’s role led to a direct confrontation with Ahab about the power of God.
We don’t usually see such showdowns today between the living God and false gods. These contests for power over human hearts most often occur in the background of our life. The god of success works his magic on social media for the world to see while the god of wealth mostly works hers behind closed doors.
It can be hard to see God at work in our culture today. Is He still even relevant let alone powerful? Can faithfulness bring me more joy than success? Can I really hope for a bright future without a giant retirement account? In my own life can God really make a difference?
The answer my friends is absolutely yes! The Jehovah we worship today is the same God who rained fire onto Elijah’s watery alter. Let’s pray for the faith to be faithful to the one true God.
Almighty Lord, my head knows that you are the only true God, but my heart always seems to wander away after false gods. Forgive me for giving them my trust. Grow my faith in you alone. Amen.