Confusing Stories

Obadiah is not exactly a household name in the Biblical narrative.  He shows up in the Elijah story toward the end of the drought.  His story which is found in I Kings 18 is a perplexing one.  He is one who worships God as does Elijah, he knows about the prophet and has great respect for him, and he actively saved the lives of one hundred and fifty of the Lord's prophets when they were threatened by Jezebel.  He also becomes a seeker of Elijah for King Ahab and a messenger of Elijah to the King.  Though feeling a great deal of fear for his own life, he dares to carry the message back to the King which Elijah needed delivered.

 

One thing often noted by us as we read the Word and its stories is the reality that they are not always neatly packaged.  Sometimes they are confusing as if some important information has been left out of what we are reading. And, sometimes we find ourselves reading between the lines and doing a little figuring as we try to make sense of what is happening in the story.  Some people might point to these issues as an inconsistency which takes away the credibility of the Word, but for others of us, it is one of the things which makes the Word so credible.

 

Is it not true that are own stories are riddled with inconsistencies?  Is it not true that sometimes our stories present a confusing picture for those who see them and sometimes even to us?  Most of the stories we live out are not neatly packaged, but are still in the process of being worked out to completion.  And, the truth, is we may not see the end.  We may not know where the story we are living is taking us.  We just know it is taking us somewhere.  And like Obadiah, we live with a hope that our story is simply a  part of the greater story which God is writing and working out in order to accomplish His plan for us and those around us.  If such is indeed happening, and it is, then it is more than enough.