April 8 -- "Trust and Obey"

 Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 17 & 1 Kings 17

"Trust and Obey"

Jesus once asked his disciples, “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ when you don’t do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46) This is a heart-penetrating question that each of us needs to answer. Is He really your Lord if you don’t trust and obey Him – even in those situations where His leading doesn’t make much sense to your human logic?

Today, we are introduced to an amazing man of God, a prophet named Elijah who ministered in Israel during the reign of king Ahab. The name “e li' jah” means “My God is Yah” (a shortened version of Yahweh). Elijah was from Tishbe of Gilead in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He is often referred to as Elijah the Tishbite.

Here in 1 Kings 17, we first see Elijah speaking a prophecy to the king about an upcoming drought, telling him “there will be no dew or rain during the next few years.” Following that prediction, Elijah was instructed by God to leave town and go camping. The Lord told him to “Go to the east and hide by Cherith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

Here's the impressive thing about Elijah – “he went and did according unto the word of the LORD.” There was no hemming or hawing. No excuse making. No arguing or complaining. He simply went and did what the Lord said to do. He trusted God’s word and obeyed. As a result of his trust and obedience, the Lord provided water from the brook and fed him in a most unusual way – “the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening.” When the brook dried up, the Lord miraculously provided for him through a poor widow.

The lesson for us is this – trust and obey! So often, we want to argue with the Lord when He guides us to go some place or do some thing. We try to rationalize our way out of it – “But God, you don’t understand – if I do what you’re telling me, bad things might happen. And just think about what kind of impact it would have on my friends and family and employer. Besides, Lord, I won’t have enough money to live on if I go there or do the thing You’re telling me to do. I think it is better to just stay here and see things through.”

 You may not know what tomorrow brings, but know this – He can bring you water from a brook and food from a raven if He chooses.  The outcome of Elijah’s obedience was that he went on to be one of the most powerful and effective prophets in Israel’s history. So you, too, will see an amazing outcome by being obedient to God’s plan for your life. So, trust Him and obey Him. As the old hymn goes, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”