1 Kings 16:29-33 says that Ahab "became king over Israel", and Ahab "did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.  And it came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethabaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him.  So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.  And Ahab also made the Asherah.  Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him." Now, that description of King Ahab's reign should sound very familiar to every American.  In times like these it can be easy for those of us who serve the Lord to feel alone.  During those days, God sent His prophet Elijah to deliver His messages to King Ahab.  Needless to say, they tended not to be fun messages.  In response to the Word of the Lord, Ahab and Jezebel sought to silence His voice by "cutting off" the prophets of the Lord.  God told Elijah where to hide so that he would be saved.

Meanwhile, 1 Kings 18:3-4 records that there was a man named Obadiah who served over the king's household, and Obadiah "feared the Lord greatly".  Obadiah put his own life on the line and hid one hundred prophets of the Lord and provided for them, so that they would escape the wrath of the king and queen.

The time came when God told Elijah to return to King Ahab, so Elijah obeyed.  When Ahab saw Elijah, he said:  "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?".  Elijah answered in verse 18:  "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed the Baals."  This exchange should also sound familiar to every American.

Now, what followed was the famed showdown at Mt. Carmel where only one god showed up (which I intend to visit if we ever unlock the secret of time travel [that and the filming of Back to the Future II when Marty goes back in time again and sees himself, having previously gone back in time]). Immediately following that display of God's supremacy, instead of repenting, Queen Jezebel determined to kill Elijah.  1 Kings 19:3 says that Elijah "was afraid and arose and ran for his life".  Once Elijah came into the wilderness, he stopped and prayed to die.  When the Lord asked Elijah what he was doing there, he answered "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the god of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword.  and I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."  Elijah felt like I, and maybe you too, feel sometimes:  alone.  Our enemy, the devil, wants us to think that we are alone and that there is no hope for us.  But, God answered in verse 18:  "Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."  Now, I don't know whether or not that number includes the 100 prophets that Obadiah had hidden or not, but the fact remains that Elijah was far from alone.  The Lord also told Elijah about Elisha who would succeed him as prophet to God's people.  We have to remember that we are not alone.  God's prophecy is very clear that until He calls His church to come out of this world, that His people will be here, standing between this world and its destruction, like Abraham overlooking Sodom and Gomorrah.  And, through us He will extend His salvation to all who will trust in Him.