Ezekiel 3

Well, God sure took His sweet time preparing Ezekiel for his calling as a prophet. He put him through an elaborate, symbolic process (vs 1-3) and then had him sit among the people of Tel Aviv for seven days, waiting for instructions (vs 15).

Several times during this process, God reiterated to Ezekiel that he was to continue on his mission, regardless of the response from the people: “Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” (vs 11)

There’s no doubt about it: Ezekiel was sent to do a job without reference to whether or not it was received by a single person. His prophetic ministry wasn’t dependent on a salary from the people, approval from the people, or even the acknowledgement of the people. He wasn’t doing his job for the people; he was doing it for God.

You and I may not be prophets, but I believe God still has a job for each of us to do. And, if you’re like me, it’s easy sometimes to start evaluating your job on the basis of what others think of it. But God has a job for you to do—regardless of the response of others. He has called you—with your unique blend of talents and abilities—for such a time as this.

Your ministry, no matter how big or how small, is important. It may never be publicly acknowledged by another human being—but God notices. It may not seem to be making any difference whatsoever in a world that seems so cold, dark, and evil—but God has a purpose for it, or He wouldn’t have called you to do it.

I don’t know what the “unemployment rate” is among God’s followers, but it should be zero, because God has a special job for each one of us to do! And the best part is, we don’t need anyone else’s approval to do it.

I know what my job is. How about you?