“My people insisted on having their own way,” the Lord declares. “But when I judge them accordingly, they will know that I am the Lord.”

Three things strike me as I come to the close of this dramatic presentation. The first is the absolute integrity of God’s message. We have a tendency to want to be liked. God, on the other hand, is committed to declaring the truth. And He knows that sin must be judged or it will bring judgment. One of the key components of conversion is for a man to realize he’s a sinner. If he doesn’t realize this, he will walk away from the One who was made sin for him (2 Corinthians 5:21). That’s why the Old Testament is so important. It’s a schoolmaster to show us that what we call personality quirks or idiosyncrasies are actually sin (Galatians 3:24).

Second, I see the remarkable flexibility of God’s method. In Ezekiel, He communicates through drama, poetry, art, foot stomping, and hand clapping. Whatever it takes to communicate, God will use. Therefore, next time you think some ministry is bizarre, think of Ezekiel, for God will sometimes use methods that seem shocking to church people to reach a world that is no longer listening to traditional means.

Finally, I see the potential expendability of God’s men. Our God has work to do. And He’ll use those who are willing to say, “Use me.” But it’s not always going to be easy. He might say to you, “The way I will use you is to be a model to this community of how a man dies from cancer while keeping his faith intact.” God might call some of you to the ministry where you will have churches that grow to the number of seven people after thirty years of preaching. God’s ministry for you might be to show the world how to be faithful when you’re not seeing results outwardly. He might give you songs to sing but no one comes with recording contracts.

Surely, Ezekiel didn’t enjoy all of his assignments. But do you think he’s in Heaven saying, “What a rip-off. I can’t believe God made me do those things”? I don’t. I think when he heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant” - it was all worth it.

In Heaven, there are rewards, blessings, and fulfillment that we can’t possibly imagine now. And, like Ezekiel, we’ll say “Thank You, Lord, for letting me suffer, for not allowing me to see my name in lights, for going through hard times because now it all makes sense. I feel honored.” If it takes us going through hard times to allow God to do His work, so be it. God does not exist to make us comfortable. He has a job to do through us.