RISK IT

DAY 264
FAITH FILE: OBADIAH
SCRIPTURES: 1 KINGS 18:3-4

And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)

During the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, there was a man named Obadiah. He was in charge of the house of Ahab. In other words, he was responsible for the palace. He had everything that had to do with the palace administration under his control, much like Joseph had admin control of the house of Potiphar. This Obadiah is not to be mistaken with the Prophet after whom a bible book is named.

It is recorded about Obadiah, in our text today, that he hid a hundred prophets in groups of 50 and brought food to them every single day. In the time when Obadiah did this, Jezebel had this interesting habit of killing the prophets of God. Her father was a priest of baal. Ahab had no business marrying her in the first place. But because his heart was wicked and he followed in the way of his fathers in sinning against God, worshipping idols, and leading the children of Israel to sin, he found a priestess, an idol worshipper, attractive enough to marry. She became the fuel to the rebellious fire that was already burning on the inside of him.

Risky Business

While she killed all the prophets of God, Obadiah hid 100. We cannot ignore the courage that he exhibited in taking this bold step because his life was in danger. Every time he took one prophet, his head could have been on the ground. He did this knowing fully well that if he was caught, he would die. What he did was risky.

However, he took this risk because he feared the Lord. This is the only fear that you should never come out of. The fear of the Lord is greater than any other fear known to man. It will make you forget that your life is actually in danger and you will risk everything. Why? because going against God is more terrifying to you than dying. The way that other kinds of fear affect our thoughts and actions even more so the fear of God. When we read the bible we see how the fear of God made men and women do terrifying, life-threatening things without hesitation.

Imagine we all feared God as we should. We would risk it for the kingdom. We won’t be afraid to speak of Him to anyone. Our lives won’t even be a factor when it comes to doing His will. We will give up anything and everything if it means doing God’s will. The risk Obadiah took preserved 100 prophets, their lives, and probably that of their families. And God preserved him in return.

Take Courage

Nowhere do we read that God instructed him to do this. He just couldn’t stand by and watch God’s prophet be killed, he had to do the right thing. It is even more amazing when you consider that most people around him were not doing the right thing, especially in the palace but Obadiah feared God greatly so he was an exception. He couldn’t bow to baal neither did he join them in their rubbish idolatry. He was courageous enough to believe in a God his leaders were trying to abolish. That was risky.

Beloved, sometimes courage requires that we put ourselves in risky situations in order to accomplish what God has called us to do or in order to just do the right, Christian, or Godly thing. And courage is ignited when we fear the Lord. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do in this season that you’re thinking is a risk and you can’t get yourself involved in it or you can’t put your money, reputation, or life in it. But on the inside of your heart, you know that that’s the direction God is leading you or that’s just the right thing to do.

Step out in faith and courage. God always protects you when you are doing His will, even if it’s a risky business that you’re in. Make sure you do it prayerfully and set your heart on the One. In the end, you will see that that little risk you took made a whole world of difference in the lives of others.

So how about you take a moment and pray and ask the Lord to give you the courage to risk it?

Shalom