Walking in the path that God has laid out for you might be neither easy nor pleasant. Jesus himself told his followers that:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Certainly it is the case that many people in the Bible faced setback after setback as they did exactly what God told them to do.

In Judges 20, after a horrible crime went unpunished by the people of the tribe of Benjamin, the rest of the Israelites went to war against them. The Israelites had an overwhelming advantage numerically over the Benjamites. And when they came to the point of battle, the asked God: should we do this? And God told them yes. And so they attacked and the Benjamites slaughtered 22,000 of the Israelites and routed their army, despite the fact that the Benjamites had but 26,000 soldiers compared to the Israelite 400,000.

After the defeat the Israelites once again asked God, should we attack? And once again, God told them to attack.

And this time the Israelites lost the battle, were routed and 18,000 more Israelite soldiers lay dead.

Finally, the Israelites asked God a third time whether they should attack the Benjamites, and once again, God told them to attack. And finally, on that third attack the Israelites defeated the Benjamites.

So. Three times they did what God told them to do, but only on the third attempt did they achieve what they thought God wanted them to accomplish. The first two times, things went really, really badly.

Moses went to Egypt to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. He had two signs to impress the Pharaoh: a stick that could become a snake and then turn back into a stick, and he could make his hand become leprous and un-leprous. Pharaoh was unimpressed with both signs and instead of letting the people go, he made their lives more miserable, increasing the amount of labor they were required to do. God told Moses to rescue the Israelites, but instead, he made things worse for them—and the Israelites knew he was responsible and hated him for it.

Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23)

Then, it took ten plagues before the Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go. So nine times out of ten, the plagues accomplished nothing.

And then we have these words from Paul, the apostle:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. (1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

Paul was doing what God asked him to do, walking the Path that God laid out for him, living precisely in the center of God’s will for him—and look at all the problems he faced as a result!

So, just because you face setbacks, obstacles, and misery, and you don’t see that what you’re doing is ever going to pay off or achieve what you thought God asked you to do, it doesn’t mean you didn’t hear God or aren’t doing what he wants you to do. What you need to understand is that things are usually a lot more complicated than you expected—but it doesn’t mean you’re not making progress just because you can’t see where you’re going and you’re wondering if it’s worth the effort when nothing seems to be working right. God sees the whole picture, he knows the whole plan. You, not so much. Just do God’s will. That’s always your best choice, no matter how unreasonable or stupid it might seem at any given moment.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

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