Thank you for reading the sermon today. I hope that you are all doing well and having a good week.
We are making good progress in our study on what we can learn from the life of the prophet Elijah. In today's passage, we meet another man who the Lord had placed in a strategic yet unexpected location in order to accomplish His will.
After a period of years, the Lord decided that it was time for Elijah to meet up with King Ahab. The Lord was going to finally cause it to rain once again in Israel. However, something was going to happen before that event. Elijah set out to find Ahab just as Ahab and his palace administrator named Obadiah were setting out on a mission. They were searching the land for some green grass in order to feed the horses so that they would not die. After three years of drought, there wouldn't have been much vegetation or drinking water. Ahab went to search one way, and he sent Obadiah in the opposite direction.
We learn something interesting about this man Obadiah. He was a servant of the Lord. He had not fallen into idolatry and worshipped the false gods of Ahab and Jezebel. In fact, Obadiah took action to help those who followed the Lord. When Jezebel tried to kill those who were faithful to the True and Living God, Obadiah hid one hundred prophets in two caves. He made sure they had the food and water that they needed to survive.
As Obadiah was searching the land, he encountered the prophet Elijah. Elijah told Obadiah to get Ahab because it was time for their meeting appointed by the Lord. There was a problem. Obadiah was afraid to go and tell Ahab where Elijah was. He feared that Elijah might leave, and then Ahab would be furious with Obadiah. Obadiah told Elijah that Ahab wanted to kill Elijah in the worst way. He was even talking to dignitaries in the surrounding nations trying to find where Elijah was.
Elijah assured Obadiah that he would remain right where he was. Obadiah went and brought Ahab back to Elijah. Ahab saw Elijah, and he called him the troubler of Israel. Ahab could not see that it was his sin and idolatry that was the true cause of the problems that Israel was facing.
So, what can we learn from our passage today. There are two things that I would like us to focus on. First of all, this passage reminds me that God has everything worked out. He had Obadiah placed in a position where he could do a lot of good. Ahab and Jezebel were trying to eliminate the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the scene. However, Obadiah a believer in God was right there. Right under their very noses, he was assisting those who remained faithful to the Lord even in the most difficult of circumstances. There are many people even today who are living in conditions where they are persecuted for their faith. The Lord is watching over those who are faithful to Him. It may even be that right in the midst of the persecutors, the Lord has someone in place that will do His will and accomplish His greater purposes.
The second thing that I want us to focus on is the fact that even though we live and work around those who don't honor God, we can still have a major impact for the good. It is my belief that especially Western culture is moving farther and farther away from the things of God. Fewer and fewer people want to follow the teaching so the Lord. It can be hard to follow the Lord in the midst of a culture that is going in the opposite direction. However, we can do a lot of good right where the Lord has placed us. We can be a light in a dark place. We can tell others about Jesus, and we can demonstrate by our actions how Jesus is living in and through us. We can work as hard as we can to make this world a better place for the honor and glory of the Lord. The Lord might even call us to do something special for Him just as He called Obadiah.
The key is that we must be faithful to the Lord in all circumstances. We must stand with Him, and He will certainly stand with us. We must be willing to do what He asks us to do so that great things can be accomplished for the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Continue to pray that my job situation will work out how it is supposed to. Also, please pray that I can get my financial situation worked out.
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. Let us not forget to pray for peace in Syria, Yemen and in the other troubled areas of the world.
Many places in the world right now are experiencing heatwaves. We are where I live. Please pray that things will cool off soon.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those living in the nations of Oman and Tajikistan. Pray that many will come to know Jesus as Lord.
Next week, we will study more about the life of Elijah. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to have a post midweek. May God bless you all. Amen.
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