Obedience is our way of showing God we are choosing his will over our fleshly desires. However, what happens when you are obedient but don’t feel like you’re seeing the fruits of it? You listened God to make amends with that individual but you didn’t get the response you expected. You served in a season of obscurity and yet everyone else “seems” to be doing better than you. You did things out of integrity and yet the people who took shortcuts are “winning”.
Speaking for myself, I made a vow to God that no matter how bad things got I would remain obedient to what he told me to do. That meant that even if I was feeling discouraged I wouldn’t turn my back on him and go back to my old way of doing things. That meant that even if I was down to very little I would still prioritize tithing. That meant that even when I felt discouraged I would not allow the enemy to pervert my mind. That meant that even while I was grieving , I would still release my blog “Walking In Purpose”. Basically I vowed to God that no matter how I “felt” I would remain obedient to his word.
In my devotional time I was reading the story of The Widow at Zarephath in 1 Kings: 17. I would recommend everyone to read this story because it really resonates with how many of us feel 2020 has gone. In this scripture, God sent Elijah to live in the village of Zarephath and he eventually encounters a widow. Elijah asks her for water and bread and the widow replies in 1 Kings 17 vs. 12: “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jaw and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal and then my son and I will die”.
What stood out to me about this verse is that the woman had already accepted her fate that her and her son would die. You and I may not be in the exact same situation but there are definitely areas in my life where I pretty much gave up and accepted the fact that my dreams, desires, hopes were dead. Elijah’s response was “For this is what the Lord , the God of Israel says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”.
In the midst of the widow accepting defeat, God sent Elijah to remind the widow of his God’s promise to her. When we are going through a difficult season, God will remind you of his promises to you, whether it be through a dream, prayer, friends and family, sermons, or his word. But God will ALWAYS reiterate his promises to remind you that he is still with you. The widow agreed and served Elijah. Even in the midst of her difficult season she was still able to serve. Can God trust you to still serve in obscure seasons?
Towards the end of the chapter, the widow’s son still dies. her response was in vs 18: “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?“. How do you respond when you’ve been obedient and the situation still does not work out? I can relate to how the widow was feeling. In my lowest moments I’ve literally questioned God why it’s been one trial after the other. Is he punishing me for my past sins and what is the purpose in all of this? The widow lost her son even after she was obedient and served Elijah in her obscure season.
BUT GOD!! ( praise break) 1 King 17: 23 “The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived”.
What blows me away about this entire story is how God orchestrated all of this. God knew the widow was down to her last hope and felt her and her son would die. So God intentionally sent Elijah there to give way to his promise. I say all of this to say there is still hope! God truly works everything out for your sake. I am sure that in the midst of all of this the widow probably felt forgotten by God. Widows and orphans were often overlooked in the bible because marriage was a sign of status. However, God never overlooked the woman and her son. Just like God never overlooks you or the situation you are facing. God could have sent Elijah to go anywhere but instead he specifically sent Elijah to the Zeraphath because he knew the widow had accepted death as her fate. Stop accepting the lies the enemy plants in your mind!!! You say the situation is dead but God has already overcome death , hell and the grave! Please repeat “ God has already overcome every dead area, every dry place, every valley that I am facing and he WILL restore me in Jesus name”
In times when you feel like you’re down to your last hope. God will send people to intercede on your behalf. God hears you, he sees your hurt, man may not see you but GOD SEES YOU. Many times things seem to get worse before they get better because God is testing your obedience. Can you still tithe when you’re down to your last dollar? Can you still serve the people who have spoken badly about you? Can you forgive without getting closure? Can you relinquish control and allow God fix the situation? Can you stay faithful to God’s promises? Can you walk by faith and not by sight?
Just like the widow, continue to serve especially in obscure seasons. l promise you that every situation that looks dead right now, God will resurrect just like he did the widow’s son. God will still heal that broken family relationship, God will still heal you from condemnation of your past mistakes, God will still heal you of you past traumas, God will still heal you from the constant mental attacks that cause you to question your worth. God still heals and his promises are yes and amen. Please don’t give up just because of what it looks like. This is where you stop doing everything in your own strength and rely on God for strength.
Romans 5: 3-5 “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”