Obedience can't be judged on what we can see

Have you ever felt like God wanted you to do something that you didn't quite understand? Then you did it anyway, hoping it was going to make perfect sense afterwards, but even after you were obedient you still didn't see the results you were hoping to see? Or maybe God didn't specifically instruct you to do something, but you took some action that you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was in line with His will. Maybe you gave some money to someone in need or prayed for someone going through a tough situation, and your expectation was to immediately see someone's life radically changed. But the result was rather insignificant compared to your expectations.My wife and I are fighting through a situation like that now. There is something that God had been asking me to do for about a year. I had fought Him on it, because I was afraid of the possible repercussions for me and my wife. However, this year He gave me the grace and the courage to follow through. I finally stepped out in faith, and I had the full support of my wife. I was excited! My expectations were huge, I thought about what it was going to look like in a few months. I saw hundreds, and eventually thousands of people experiencing God's love through our obedience.Now here we sit, a few months after doing what we believe that God asked us to do, and my wife and I are the only ones engaged. We are the only two people who it appears are being reached. We had a few others engaged at the beginning, but they have drifted away since. Every week, her and I sit there and wonder what we are doing wrong. Every week we sit there and debate what we need to change, and why God is not blessing our obedience. But then we start to pray together. Every time we start praying, we are immediately led to pray about how thankful we are to be there. We pray about what an honor it is to pray together, and intercede to God on behalf of other people in our sphere of influence. We speak aloud that we are faithful to continue on our journey, even if it just remains the two of us.Then I look to God's word. I see people like Abraham. God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). In Abraham's lifetime, he didn't get to see that promise come to pass, but He trusted that God would carry it out anyway. God promised the disciples that Jesus would return to them in the same way that they saw Him ascend into heaven (Acts 1:11). Every believer today still holds to that promise even though we have yet to see it. Think about the obedience of the original disciples of Jesus. They gladly underwent persecution and death, because they believed in God's power and love for our hurting broken world. They had no idea that 2000 years later, billions of people around the world would have the opportunity to know God because of their sacrifices. There are people in the world today who are suffering these same types of persecution because they believe in and trust God, even though they can't physically see how their sacrifices are building the faith of other believers around the world.At the end of the day, our obedience is not about us. If we are being obedient to God simply to bring about the results that we desire, then we need to check our hearts. God did not promise us everything that we wanted because of our obedience. What He promised us was His presence, His peace, the fruits of His Spirit, and a blessed reassurance that we can trust Him. We can rest assured that our sacrifices will not go unnoticed by our Father in heaven, even if we don't get to see the results in our lifetime. Just look at Mark 9:41, which reads, "Truly I tell you, anyone who gives a cup of water in my name because you belong to the messiah will certainly not lose their reward."All I want to say to you today is keep pressing on. If you are like me, you just need to hear that sometimes. Keep fighting the good fight of faith, because you are not fighting in vein. You are probably doing much better than you think, and God sees you! If you have given up the fight in some way, just start fighting again. Start small. Give someone a genuine smile when you pass them in the hall today. Say a silent prayer for a loved one. Reach out and just say hello to a stranger. Don't worry about the results. Don't do it with an expectation of some miraculous outcome. Do it simply because you love and trust God. Then focus on that little glimmer of peace, and that little spark of hope that rises within you. Your reward to obedience is a peace that transcends all understanding. The results of your obedience are up to Him.