Day 255 · Saturday, September 12
"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. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’"EZEKIEL 2:3-4
Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 255, Sent All the Same.
"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. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD."'" Ezekiel 2:3-4.
This is the moment God commissions Ezekiel for his prophetic ministry. And notice how God begins: not with a promise of easy success, not with a guarantee that everything would go well. He begins by describing, with an almost harsh honesty, exactly the kind of people Ezekiel would face.
"Nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me." "They and their fathers have transgressed... to this very day." "Impudent and stubborn." It's not a gentle portrait. God didn't soften reality to encourage His prophet. He told the raw truth: you're going to speak to hard-hearted people, who have resisted for generations, who will probably not listen to you.
And still — "I send you." Notice the call comes before the description of the difficulty, but the sending continues after it. God didn't withdraw Ezekiel's mission just because the audience would be difficult. On the contrary: He sent him knowing exactly what it would be like, and still said "go."
This challenges an idea we sometimes carry, almost without realizing it: that we should only obey God when we have a guarantee of results. That speaking the truth is only worth it if people will actually listen. But Ezekiel's call teaches us something else: God's faithfulness toward us does not depend on the response of the people we're sent to.
And look at the final instruction, which is, in the end, the most important one: "you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'" Ezekiel wasn't asked to convince, to win over, to guarantee any result at all. He was asked to faithfully speak the word given to him. The outcome — whether they would listen or not — was on them, not on him.
That takes an enormous weight off our shoulders, doesn't it? How often do we hesitate to do what God has asked because we're afraid of people's reaction — of judgment, rejection, an uncomfortable silence? Ezekiel was sent to a people of "hard face and stubborn heart," and still his mission was simple: speak faithfully. Not convince. Not guarantee a result. Speak.
I want to ask you, gently: is there something God has asked of you — a word to say, an action to take, a step of obedience — that you've been putting off because you're afraid of how people will react? Maybe it's time to remember that your responsibility is faithfulness, not controlling the outcome.
So today, do that thing — even without any guarantee it will be well received. God is with you, the same way He was with Ezekiel.
Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.