R³ Devotional - Day 246

What do you do when God asks for the one thing you thought He would never touch? When He doesn’t just allow pain, He tells you it’s coming? That’s where Ezekiel stood the day God said, “The delight of your eyes will be taken from you.” No explanation. No chance to bargain. Just a sentence that felt like a sword. And then the unthinkable command: Do not weep. Do not mourn. If you’ve ever buried a dream, stood by a hospital bed, or closed the door on a chapter of life you loved, you know the ache Ezekiel must have felt. He called her the delight of his eyes. She wasn’t just his wife. She was his heartbeat, his safe place, his joy. And God said, “I’m taking her.” The very human response of grief was restrained for the sake of obedience. Can you imagine the weight of that command? The tension between love and loyalty, between personal agony and prophetic calling?

This wasn’t punishment for Ezekiel; it was prophecy for a nation. Israel had given her love to idols and abandoned her first love, God. And now judgment was coming; the temple, their pride and glory, would fall. They would lose what they thought they could never lose. And their grief would be so deep, so consuming, that words would fail them. Ezekiel’s silence would become a living sermon: a picture of their stunned, hollow mourning.

But still… Ezekiel obeyed. He woke up the next morning, and his wife was gone. And scripture says simply: “In the evening my wife died, and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.” No bargaining. No rebellion. Just obedience; raw, costly, painful obedience.

What do we do when God’s plan collides with our deepest affections? When His purpose allows heartbreak we can’t comprehend? If we’re honest, we’d rather skip that part of the Christian life. We want a God who comforts, not one who commands us to walk through fire. Yet here’s the truth we wrestle with: obedience doesn’t always feel good—but it always leads to His glory.

Some of you are standing in that place right now. You’ve lost something precious. Someone you love, a dream you nurtured, a season you cherished. And you’re asking if God sees the ache in your chest. He does. He saw Ezekiel’s pain too. But He also sees the bigger picture; a story too vast for us to comprehend this side of eternity.

Ezekiel’s silent obedience still speaks today. It whispers this truth: You can trust Him, even when it costs you everything. Even when the answer doesn’t make sense. Even when your heart feels like breaking in two. Obedience will break you before it makes you. It will strip away illusions of control. It will expose what you treasure most. And it will lead you into deeper trust than you’ve ever known.

Ezekiel’s obedience declares something profound: God is worthy even when life shatters. His worth is not measured by how comfortable He makes us, but by His glory, His sovereignty, His goodness that transcends our pain. And maybe, just maybe, someone is watching your obedience. Someone who will see your quiet faith in suffering and realize that God is worth trusting. That He is worth surrendering everything for.

When your heart breaks and your world shakes, will you still whisper yes to God? Because sometimes the loudest sermon you’ll ever preach is the one spoken through your silent obedience.

REAL. READY. RELEVANT.

REAL: Pain is real, but so is the God who walks with you through it.

READY: Ready your heart for obedience before the storm comes. Daily surrender prepares you for the unthinkable.

RELEVANT: Your faith in suffering may speak louder than any sermon. Someone needs to see that God is still worthy.

Prayer:

Lord,
When life doesn’t make sense, help me trust You.
When the path is painful, give me the strength to obey.
When my heart feels empty, fill me with Your presence.

Remind me that You are good, even when I can’t see it.
Teach me to surrender what I hold most dear,
and believe that Your plans are higher than mine.

Today, I choose to say “yes,” even through the tears.
Because You are worthy. Always.

Amen.