Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the LORD's prophets? I hid a hundred of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water.
And now you say, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here'! Sir, if I do that, I'm as good as dead!"
But Elijah said, "I swear by the LORD Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab today."
So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet him. (I Kings 18:13-16, NLT)
I have a friend that helps others all the time. If there is a need, he will be there. I assumed that he has always lived in this manner; however, he told me a different story. His story began years ago when he traveled via hitch-hiking. Life held no specific purpose for him, so, he did not have a specific destination. Along the way, people told him about how he could have a relationship with God. He would feel anxiety rising as they spoke and refused to enter into thinking about God; however, the kindness of the individuals and their conversations began to make him think about God. Finally, one person told him, “Sometimes you gotta say okay . . . and leave the rest to God.” So he did. He said okay to God and God entered in. And, because of all the people that helped him find God through kindness and conversation . . . he does the same . . . which is his purpose . . . as he travels through the journey of life . . . knowing his destiny is in the heart of God.
In the book of I Kings, Obadiah listed the reasons that He could not do what God wanted him to do. His reasoning came from fear. Elijah simply listened and gave reassurance without persuasive arguments or pleading. And . . . Elijah did not let Obadiah’s fear interfere with what he needed to do . . . and then . . . after all the list-making . . . Obadiah faced the king . . . no drama . . . nothing but giving the message is recorded. Sometimes you gotta say okay and leave the rest to God . . . rather than listing out all the reasons why doing something for God does not make sense . . . we need to say okay in faith and refuse to let fear enter in.
Take a moment and think about Elijah's response. How could Elijah respond in faith when Obadiah had presented a death sentence to him?
In my perception, Elijah remembered that he belonged to God. Certainly, he remembered God had provided him an oasis in the midst of a desert. When he was hungry and thirsty . . . God provided. And . . . he had seen the power of life when God breathed new life into the widow’s son. The faithfulness of God’s love superseded his circumstances. Sometimes you gotta say okay . . . and leave the rest to God.
Of course faith is a process; but God will transform us by the way we think:
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:2, NLT)
Think about what it means to have thought of faith.
Determine what thoughts are based on fear.
Release the fear to God.
Respond in faith.
Take a risk: sometimes you gotta say okay!
Learning with you to say okay to God,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
