How do you know whether the hand of God is on your life and your ministry? I noticed Ezekiel often stated, “The hand of the Lord was upon me,” so I looked deeper to find out what God’s anointing looked like in his ministry.
1. Gifting for our call
Ezekiel spoke of his call to become “a watchman over the house of Israel … the hand of the Lord was on me there” (Ezekiel 3:17).
In addition to Ezekiel, Scripture likewise talks about the hand of God on Samson, Elijah, Elisha, and others who courageously answered His call. If the hand of God was on these men of God, why not also on our lives today? Is God not the same yesterday, today, and forever? God will anoint those He appoints, including you.
“God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
2. Spiritual fruit that lasts
When God puts His hand on our ministry, the Holy Spirit bears fruit, some of which is visible. Although numerical growth is not the only scorecard for church health and growth, conversion growth is. I believe there will be some evidence of kingdom growth in your ministry if God’s hand is on it. Without God’s hand on our ministry, we end up spinning our spiritual wheels in vain.
“The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me” (John 15:5).
3. Resilience in ministry
No church stays in revival mode, so some seasons are harder than others. Ezekiel had one of the toughest ministry assignments imaginable. He would much rather have preached more on deliverance than judgment, but he stayed true to his calling. Frankly, the weight of his ministry sometimes wore him out. Imagine your worst day on the front lines of ministry. That was a normal day for Ezekiel.
“I am sending you to the rebellious pagans … do not be afraid of them or their words or be discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are rebellious” (Ezekiel 2:6-7).
I hear more about church revitalization than pastoral revitalization, yet is it plausible to have one without the other? With such a difficult and lonely ministry, Ezekiel needed the hand of God to hold him up when he got down. So do we sometimes.
God’s people had been in captivity and without the hand of God’s blessing for so long that they had lost their song. “How can we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?” (Psalm 137:4).
Not only did Israel lose its song, but Ezekiel lost his sermon. God would not let Ezekiel speak for a season. I’ve been there, and it’s not fun. However, when God put His hand on Ezekiel again, he preached with great power and unction.
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He opened my mouth. … So, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer silent” (Ezekiel 33:22).
This can happen to you, too! Take God by the hand right now and ask Him to rekindle your call and anoint your life and ministry with spiritual fruit so you can serve well and finish well.
This article originally appeared in the Southern Baptists Texan.
