“…¹⁸ Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

1 Kings 19:18

Dear God, I was reading one of my favorite Old Testament stories this morning about Elijah running, being in the cave and you asking him, “What are you doing here?” I love it. But then as I read on, I saw this one passage in verse 18 that caught my eye. You preserved those in Israel who had never bowed down to Baal or kissed him. Their fealty to you was seemingly credited to them as righteousness. These were not perfect people. They also weren’t necessarily brave people. They were just lovers of you and it counted for something in your eyes.

I wish I could somehow convey to people, whether they be my family, coworkers, or anyone else in my sphere of influence, how amazing it is to get to know you, worship you, and be transformed by you. I wish others could see that the sacrifice of self and the time taken to get to know you and commune with your Holy Spirit is worth it. I wish I was more effective in that.

Father, I’m not a righteous man. I’m not a brave man. I do think, however, I’m earnest. I earnestly love you. I earnestly love my wife, children, and family. I earnestly care about those around me. Please help that count for something and use me how you will in this world so that your kingdom might come and your will might be done on earth as it is in the heavens.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen