Christian Devotional – July 3, 2019

Secret agent. Our story of Elijah adds a new character, Obadiah. He has a very interesting position. He is something like a secret agent. He works for the evil king Ahab and yet follows the Lord. How do those go together? Read 1 Kings 18:3-4.

Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly; for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord , Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)
1 KINGS 18:3‭-‬4 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ki.18.3-4.NASB

Obadiah follows God first and foremost. He is in the service of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, but he is devoted to the Almighty God. Also, Ahab has no idea as he would certainly have killed Obadiah if he knew. What a difficult situation for to be in!

Sometimes God has us in difficult and dangerous situations. Maybe we work a job with a boss that is unethical or maybe we have a husband or wife who is not a Christian. These are often situations that we can’t always just up and walk away from. And, more than that, sometimes God doesn’t want us to walk away. Sometimes that is exactly where he has us for a reason. Those 100 prophets would have been killed if not for the amazing acts of Obadiah. He was still an incredible influence with amazing impact, even though he was in one of the most personally dangerous situations imaginable.

Are you stuck in a difficult/unusual situation surrounded by non-believers who are constantly asking you to bend your Christian values? Maybe God has you exactly where he wants you so you can be the hands of Jesus to people when otherwise they would be at the mercy of someone who does not believe. It will be difficult and overwhelming and dangerous, as we’ll see in the next few verses about Obadiah, but God can do amazing things through people in that situation if they will continue to allow God to use them.