September 16, 2022

Dear Church Family,

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone always listened to you? Wouldn’t it be great if they always took your advice or made the corrections you say are needed? The prophets in the Old Testament rarely had that luxury and Ezekiel is no exception. In Ezekiel 2 God calls Ezekiel and notice how difficult his assignment is:

Ezekiel 2:3-4 (ESV)
And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

God didn’t promise the people would listen to Ezekiel. In fact, four times in chapters 2 and 3 God gives Ezekiel a variation of this statement:

Ezekiel 2:7 (ESV)
And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

God has given each of us different ministries and people to minister to. We can’t force them to accept God’s truths or obey His commands. What we can do is faithfully minister to them and “speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear.” Fortunately, many of them are not a “rebellious house,” but fertile soil to plant into. Either way, our hope is that they will recognize that God is at work in our lives. I love that God reminds Ezekiel that, when he faithfully ministers, people will notice.

Ezekiel 2:5 (ESV)
And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Who has God called you to minister to? Are you being faithful to your calling? Do they and those around them see God in your life?