Obeying God

I don’t always like doing what I’m told. I have a choice either to dig in my heels or to ask God to help me acquiesce or obey. Perhaps this stubbornness—and my prayer that God would soften me—helps me notice Elijah’s pliability and obedience. When God tells him to do something, he does it. And God uses him in His redemption story.

Throughout today’s narrative, we see Elijah hearing and obeying God. After the prophet announced to King Ahab the coming drought (1 Kings 17:1), the “brook dried up” (v. 7). Elijah followed God’s commands by moving to the stream where the ravens cared for him (vv. 5–6). He then obeyed God in seeking food from a widow in Zarephath (v. 10). She too obeyed, although she thought she would die. But Elijah promised her, on behalf of God, that her oil and flour will not run dry. And indeed, “the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry” (v. 16).

We aren’t God’s prophets, but we can echo Elijah’s character by building up our ‘obedience muscle’. Perhaps we can commit to acting on a nudge we sense when reading Scripture, or we can ask God to show us an area of life we keep from Him. As we obey, we can pray God will use us in His great redemption plan. Amy Pye - Daily Bread