Do It Anyway!

Posted On August 21, 2023

“You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not . . .”

Ezekiel 2:7 NET

What do we do when we feel as though our labor for the Lord is in vain? We speak and it seems no one is listening. We offer to help but our help is unwanted. We do the right thing again and again, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference. We pour our heart and soul into our work for the Lord, but no one seems to care. What do we do when all our effort seems useless?

We do it anyway . . .

Our plan for 2023 is to journey through The NeverEnding Story of the Bible and discover how we fit into it along the way. Our plan for this year is loosely based on The Story, an abridged chronological version of the Bible, and the accompanying study guide The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee.

Here is where we are in The Story:

MOVEMENT TWO: The Story of Israel (Genesis 12-Malachi)

Chapter 17 – The Kingdoms’ Fall

This chapter in The Story covers 2 Kings 21, 23-25; 2 Chronicles 33, 36; Jeremiah 1-2, 4-5, 13, 21; Lamentations 1-3, 5; and Ezekiel 1-2, 6-7, 36-37. This chapter highlights the messages of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel as they relayed God’s messages of judgment upon Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. God warned His rebellious people that they would be destroyed except for a few survivors who would be scattered among the surrounding nations.

Needless to say, this was not welcome news! No one wants to hear messages of impending doom, so the prophets’ assignments would not be easy. In fact, God warned them both that the people would not listen to them, but He called them to speak His words anyway.

“When you tell them all this, they won’t listen to you.
When you call to them, they won’t respond.”

Jeremiah 7:27 CEB

“Don’t be afraid of their mean words or their hard looks. They’re a bunch of rebels.
Your job is to speak to them. Whether they listen is not your concern.”

Ezekiel 2:6-7 MSG

God called His prophets to do their job, no matter the cost and no matter the results. They faced ridicule, defiance, and persecution from those they were trying to help. And the worst part was that it all seemed to be in vain. Nothing they did or said was going to make any difference. So, why even bother? What was the point?

“God gave Ezekiel the difficult responsibility of presenting his message to ungrateful and abusive people. Sometimes we must be an example or share our faith with unkind people. The Lord told Ezekiel not to be afraid, but to speak his words, whether or not the people would listen. He also wants us to tell the Good News, whether it’s convenient or not . . . .”

Chronological Life Application Bible

Why did they do what God asked when it didn’t make sense? Why should we? The short answer is: Because God said so. Period. It’s wasn’t their job to understand what God was doing. Their job was just to obey. The same is true for us.

“Obey God no matter how challenging it may be. At times, you will find that submitting yourself to the Lord’s authority will involve choices that could result in rejection, loss, or hardship, and it will require courage for you to do as He asks. However difficult your circumstances may be, respond to them with confidence in the One who empowers you to do His will.”

Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

“Jeremiah was a prophet to the kingdom of Judah. Before Jeremiah was even born, God set him apart for this special assignment. Yet God warned him that the people would not listen to his message. We are reminded of two things: (1) God has a special assignment for each of us in the unfolding of his story, and (2) God doesn’t call us to be successful, only faithful to the assignments he gives us.”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

So, what’s the long answer? As human beings, we may not be capable of understanding all of God’s reasons, but as we learn more about God, we begin to learn more about His ways. And things may start to make a little more sense to us. One of my study Bibles offers this explanation about Jeremiah’s task:

“Why did God instruct Jeremiah to prophesy and proclaim if the effort would be fruitless? God demonstrates his consistent faithfulness even in the face of human resistance. God was also ‘going on record’ for those beyond Jeremiah’s generation. . . . The stories [of past failures of God’s people] are intended to guide us and prevent us from making the same mistakes.”

Chronological Life Application Bible

One of God’s reasons for asking Jeremiah to do His work was to benefit us. God’s purposes extended far beyond Jeremiah’s lifetime. The same was true for Ezekiel. The same is true for us. The fact that we may not see any fruit from our labors in our own lifetimes doesn’t mean what we’re doing is useless. Only God has the complete picture. Only He knows the full repercussions of our actions. So, let’s trust Him to guide us.

“What has God called you to do? Do His instructions seem extreme or confusing? Has He challenged you to do something that you don’t feel capable of? It is not your job to understand God’s plan, but it is your responsibility to obey Him. God sees the beginning, middle, and end of your situation; therefore, His perspective about what He has called you to do is far more complete than yours.”

Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

“Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it,
but it was God who made it grow.”

Corinthians 3:6-7 NLT

Never underestimate the power of planting a seed. Sometimes that’s all we’re called to do in someone’s life. Just plant a seed of faith that God will call someone else to come along later and water. I have a feeling that most of the time this is the work God calls us to do. We have opportunities to plant seeds every day. Smiling at a stranger as you walk by, offering a hand when someone needs help, letting someone know you’re praying for them, and even wearing a cross around your neck are just a few examples. Maybe some of these things we do without even realizing it. They seem easy for us. That’s the cool thing about the Holy Spirit. As we stay connected to God, we become more sensitive to His leading, and soon doing God’s will becomes almost automatic.

But there are also things we definitely feel called to do, whether we really want to or not. Hard things. Going out of your comfort zone to speak to someone about your faith, staying in a hard marriage, offering your time and talents when they seem inadequate or unwanted, or maybe even starting a blog you’re not sure anyone will read! I’ve been called to do all of these things. And I’m sure you have a similar list. Things we are called to do without understanding why and maybe without seeing any visible results of our efforts. If, like me, you have ever been tempted to just give up, my advice is don’t. Don’t give up. If God has called us to do something, then He has a plan and He expects us to do our part. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get to see the results of our efforts after all!

“Always remember that you will reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow. . . . So demonstrate your trust in God by complying with His will. When you do so, you will certainly reap the rewards He has designed for you in ways above and beyond your imagination.”

Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!”

Psalm 31:24 NLT

No matter what, let’s stay faithful to God, do what He calls us to do, and trust Him with the outcome. When we do, we have no reason to fear. Often our task may feel like an uphill battle, but God will give us the courage and strength we need to accomplish His work. And, along the way, our faith will grow. What more do we need to know?

“Just do as He tells you to do — even when you don’t understand why. Your Father knows how to direct you in the best way possible, so trust Him and go forward.”

Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

This week’s Scripture passages focus on endurance. As we run the race set before us, we will be strengthened with the Lord’s power to keep moving forward. When God gives us an assignment, we can be confident that our work will not be in vain. So, even when we don’t understand God’s plan or see the purpose in what He has called us to do, let’s trust Him and do it anyway!

“Everybody needs the Lord — even people who seemingly resist all your godly overtures. But keep on expressing the love and grace of God through your words and deeds. The Lord will work through you to change other people’s lives in a wonderful, eternal way.”

Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

“Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9 NIV

References:

• Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2012.
• Frazee, Randy.  The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
• “MARTINA MCBRIDE “ANYWAY” LIVE ( 🎞HD🎞) youtube.” YouTube, uploaded by grey stone, 13 February 2018, https://youtu.be/tBDUVK6W1JM.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.

Images:

• Mountain and Boulder featured image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay (edited)
• Speaking image by mcmurryjulie from Pixabay
• Speaker image by Najam Ul Hassan from Pixabay (edited)
• Question Mark image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay (edited)
• Exclamation Point image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
• Tree image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
• Highway image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay (edited)
• Pushing Boulder image by Elias from Pixabay (edited)