The Prophet: The Return
The Return: Trusting God on Both Sides of the Line
We all act a little differently in different settings. That is normal. We talk one way at work and another way at home. We have a “family voice” and a “professional voice.” We respond differently to our friends than we do to our kids. That is part of having different roles.
But sometimes the line between those roles gets too strong. What begins as wise adaptation becomes quiet compartmentalization. Instead of adjusting how we behave, we start adjusting who we are. We live in different worlds and our faith settles into one side of the line and stays out of the other.
The story of Obadiah in 1 Kings 18 speaks straight into that struggle.
The Line We All Live With
Most of us would never say we live two different lives, but we do live in two different worlds.
You may recognize these:
The version of you at church and the version of you at work
The one who prays at home and the one who avoids spiritual conversations with friends
The one who trusts God on Sunday and the one who feels like life is all on your shoulders Monday through Friday
The tension feels small, but those lines eventually get deep. We risk becoming someone who honors God in “safe” places while keeping Him out of the messy ones.
That is where Obadiah lived.
The Story Behind the Line
A drought, a king, and a prophet
1 Kings 18 opens with God sending Elijah back to King Ahab after three and a half years of drought. God’s message is simple and clear:
Show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain.
Elijah obeys.
He starts the journey back into dangerous territory.
He is ready for the confrontation.
But the story shifts to someone we often forget about.
Meet Obadiah
Obadiah is not Elijah.
He is not the prophet with grand miracles.
He is not the one calling down fire.
He is a believer working inside a broken and corrupt palace. He manages Ahab’s household. He handles the palace staff. He sees everything up close.
Scripture describes him in a simple but powerful line:
“Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.”
While Ahab and Jezebel hunted the prophets of God, Obadiah quietly hid one hundred of them in two caves and made sure they had food and water. In a drought, that is more than kindness. It is treason in Ahab’s eyes. Obadiah risked everything.
He is not weak.
He is not fake.
He is not a coward.
He is a faithful man doing the best he can behind enemy lines.
But he has a line drawn in his life.
His faith is real, but it is private.
A Collision of Worlds
While Obadiah is out searching for grass to save the king’s animals, he runs into Elijah. He recognizes him immediately. Elijah tells him to go get Ahab because the showdown is coming.
Obadiah panics.
“What did I do wrong? If I tell him you are here and you disappear, he will kill me.”
(1 Kings 18:9 to 12)
He explains everything:
Ahab has searched every kingdom trying to find Elijah
Nations have had to swear oaths that they were not hiding him
If Obadiah reports Elijah’s return and Elijah vanishes again, Obadiah knows the penalty
Then Obadiah says something incredibly honest:
“I feared the Lord from my youth.”
In other words:
I believe.
I love God.
I follow Him.
But not here.
Not over the line.
Not where Ahab might see.
On one side of his life, Obadiah is bold enough to hide prophets and divert resources to keep them alive.
On the other side, he is terrified of openly connecting himself with Elijah.
It is not unbelief.
It is fear of bringing faith across the line.
Elijah’s Answer
Elijah responds to Obadiah with something calm and steady:
“As the Lord of hosts lives, I will show myself to Ahab today.”
(1 Kings 18:15)
God will not leave you hanging.
God will not expose you and abandon you.
God is faithful on both sides of the line.
Obadiah obeys.
He goes to Ahab.
And everything works out exactly as God said.
Obadiah does not lose his job.
He does not lose his life.
He probably receives credit for finding the prophet no one else could locate.
What looked like the biggest risk of his entire life ended up being the moment where God proved He could be trusted anywhere.
Where This Lands for Us
This story exposes something we all face. You may love God deeply. You may want to honor Him. You may even take big risks for Him in places where it feels “safe enough.”
But you might still have areas where you do not trust Him.
You may stay quiet about faith at work.
You may avoid spiritual conversations with family.
You may hide your faith from old friends.
You may keep God on one side of the line and live like you are on your own on the other.
God calls each of us to cross that line.
Not recklessly.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
Just faithfully.
Here are the places where that often happens.
1. Trusting God with your salvation
Some people trust God for comfort, inspiration, or help, but not for their eternity. They like the teachings of Jesus but struggle to surrender to Him. The cross feels like too big of a step.
If Jesus is trustworthy in what you already believe about Him, then He is trustworthy here too.
If He kept His word about His death and resurrection, then He will keep His word about forgiveness and eternal life.
He does not ask you to split your trust.
He asks you to trust Him fully.
2. Trusting God at work
Work is one of the hardest places to bring your faith across the line.
Common thoughts sound like this:
“I can’t say that. I’ll lose my job.”
“I can’t be open about Jesus here. It will ruin relationships.”
“I have to live in the real world during the week.”
The truth is simple.
If God can be trusted with your eternity, He can be trusted with your employment, reputation, and provision.
The step He usually asks for is small:
Pray for that coworker
Offer spiritual encouragement
Invite someone to church
Share your story
These steps feel huge only because they cross the line you drew.
3. Trusting God with your friendships
It is easy to have “church friends” and “regular friends.” With church friends, everything feels natural. With others, you may keep quiet.
You tell yourself you are “being an influence” but years can go by without a single spiritual conversation. If someone has been in your life for a decade and still does not know you follow Christ, something is off.
If you love them, bring Jesus into the relationship.
Not with pressure.
Not with pushiness.
Simply with honesty.
The question is not whether you want to lose the friendship.
The real question is whether you trust God enough to share the hope they desperately need.
The Question Behind It All
Is God only trustworthy on one side of your line?
Obadiah lived with a private faith. God invited him to let that faith step into the rest of his world. When he did, he discovered something life changing:
The God who is faithful in private is faithful in public.
The God who is trusted on the safe side can be trusted on the risky side.
The God who holds your soul can hold your job, your friendships, and every part of your life.
There is a step of faith you already know God has been asking you to take.
He is calling you across the line.
He is calling you to trust Him.
He is calling you to obey Him.
And He will not leave you hanging.
When you finally pull up that tape, you may wonder why you waited so long.
