Deciding to obey while struggling to understand what God wants

By Dean Collins

Hard times and hard things are often unexplainable. We try and try to make sense of it all with varying amounts of success. When the worst happens, the thing we feared the most, we struggle to understand somehow why and how this has come to us. And we grapple with what we are supposed to do next, often wondering why we would even bother to try to do anything.

I said before that Ezekiel is not my favorite book of the Bible. Besides all of the dreams and visions it contains, it also includes extremely graphic sections. And the things that are required of Ezekiel personally are beyond what we would expect a loving God to require, yet he does.

Seeking direction

One must be careful when listening for or sensing what is a nudge from God or what is just some preferred path that might tie to a preferred outcome. As a person with good intuition and plenty of imagination, I can generate more than a few ideas. Just ask the people who work with me. What is difficult to discern is when I am acting as Crazy Dean (my self-given name) or when my next thought is truly directed by the Holy Spirit. I suspect I am Crazy Dean more than a fountain of Spirit-led ideas. 

I doubt it would be a good use of time to keep a list of when we act simply by our preferences versus God’s Spirit. I do, however, think Scripture, prayer, and transparency in seeking feedback from mature Christ followers are all critical to knowing when we are led by the Spirit and not just personal preference.

Beyond odd to harsh

What is interesting to note are the many times in Scripture that God gives a directive to a prophet, a king, or an apostle that doesn’t just seem odd but is harsh. Ezekiel 24 is one such incident. Already in the middle of a difficult assignment as Ezekiel continued to deliver hard news, the prophet received what I believe we would all find devastating. You decide how you would feel if this was a verified word from God to you:

“Behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke.”

Ezekiel was told that suddenly his wife would die. A wife who God knew to be a delight in Ezekiel’s life. We might have thought, Well the prophet had a tough assignment, but at least he had the support and pleasure of a supportive spouse. But now, even that pleasure is being taken away. And it gets worse. The Word of the Lord continued:

“Yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.”

Translation: Your wife is going to die suddenly and you are not to slow down or interrupt your ministry to say goodbye, nor to grieve, honor, or remember the one you love and chose to marry. I feel certain that if this thought popped into my head, I would not attribute it to God.

Ezekiel heard the Word of Lord in the morning, went about his daily work, and in the evening his wife died just as God said she would. The congregation of listeners in Babylon posed this question to Ezekiel: “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” It was no doubt shocking that the prophet did not do what any good person of faith would do, namely, go through the customs and healthy practices of grief. 

And the purpose of this tragic event in Ezekiel’s life was a sermon illustration. Here is the Word of the Lord given to Ezekiel in response to the inquiries about what his wife’s death and Ezekiel’s lack of mourning means:

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’ “

The delight of the Jewish community was the temple in Jerusalem. It was soon to be destroyed, and they were to go about their lives, could only go about their lives, in the same manner that Ezekiel had modeled with the loss of his wife. And to verify God’s words, the temple in Jerusalem was soon destroyed as a result of the continued sin and disobedience of God’s chosen people.

The whys and ways of God

I am not sure how to process or fully understand all the whys and ways of God. There are many things we simply will not understand until the veil is removed and we stand in the face of God’s glory on the other side of life. But i will offer a few thoughts that come to mind.

1) As I said earlier, we must be careful in deciding that something outside of Scripture is the Word of the Lord. Yes, the Holy Spirit prompts, and yes, we should obey when he does. But we must test these prompts by Scripture, in prayer, and through seeking wise spiritual counsel. In the case of Ezekiel, all was confirmed by God, and there was little room for doubt that it was the Word of God. The listeners may have struggled to understand the why, but there was no doubt about the who.

2) God does at times give us hard assignments. When he does, our best response is obedience. And as we obey, we will need the support, encouragement, prayers, and resources of the Christian community around us. We have been placed in the body of Christ, and the body is to minister and support its members.

3) Remember that whatever we are going through is not the end but rather a step along the way. We are people of the resurrection. Even death cannot slow the ways of God. In fact, it is simply a step in the process.

Lord, we sometimes struggle to understand your words in Scripture. And we struggle often to understand the prompts and nudges that come to us by the Holy Spirit living in us. Increase our faith in you and guide our discernment that we will always walk in your truth and in community and never wander off believing that we know best or know all you know! We ask that you protect us from the enemy. Give us diligence and discernment in understanding and obeying your Word. And protect us as we seek to live our faith in the community of faith where you have placed us.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your time with God’s Word
Ezekiel‬ ‭24‬:‭15‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV

Photo by fizkes at istockphoto.com
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