Who Are You and What Have You Done

Thoughts from 1 Kings 18:36

“Where do you work?”

“What is it you do?”

“How long have you been there?”

Questions like these usually come soon after meeting someone. Asking what a person does is a way to get better acquainted with them. It can also lead to some clarifying questions which will allow you to get more familiar with your new friend.

Elijah tells us who he is and what he has done as begins his prayer. He says: “…let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.” (1 Kings 18:36 (ESV). Elijah identifies himself as the “servant” of God and as such he is totally dependent upon God and responsible to Him. In our culture we struggle with words like “servant” and “slave.” We prefer to be in charge; not under the charge of another. But, if we are not serving God; who are we serving?

We can serve our self. “I,” “me,” and “my” are words frequently spoken by a self-serving person. But there is no lasting joy or fulfillment in serving our self. Others can accumulate so much stuff that they end up serving their stuff. It takes a lot of work to pay the bills to keep up with all the stuff we have. If we are not careful we can end up serving the stuff that should be serving us. Society can be a master that others choose to serve. Being consumed with the latest and greatest or the opinions and attitudes of others is to be the servant to a cruel master. You can never please everyone and will be exhausted trying to. There are plenty of “masters” that can make life difficult for us. There is only one who is worthy to be served.

Serving God is a life of fulfillment and contentment. To be a “servant” of God is to be in good company. Moses (Exodus 4:10), Joshua (Judges 2:8), Nehemiah (Neh. 1:6), along with the prophets (2 Kings 17:3, Ezra 9:11) are all identified as “servants” of God. Even the kings David and Solomon are called God’s “servant” (1 Kings 3:6-7). The Apostle Paul began the letter of Romans with these words: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus”. James began his epistle with similar words: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,” As a follower of Christ you too are a servant of the Lord.

What does a servant of the Lord do? Two words best sum up the life of one who serves the Lord. They “trust” and “obey.” That’s what Elijah did and that is what you are called to do as well. We “trust” knowing He will supply all our needs – after all we are His servant and He will care for us. We “obey” knowing that His will and plan are best.

So who are you and what do you do?