Lord, make me more stubborn

"But it won't work that way with the family of Israel. They won't listen to you because they won't listen to me. They are, as I said, a hard case, hardened in their sin. But I'll make you as hard in your way as they are in theirs. I'll make your face as hard as rock, harder than granite. Don't let them intimidate you. Don't be afraid of them, even though they're a bunch of rebels." -Ezekiel 3:7-9 (The Message, emphasis added)

At first, this seems like a pretty strange passage to me. I mean, who wants their face to be as hard as a rock? C'mon God, make my abs as hard as a rock, maybe, but my face?

But, what a cool thing God did for Ezekiel. He was sending him to speak to the Israelites and warn them about their sin. But in His sovereignty, God knew they would be stubborn about it, so he promised to make Ezekiel more stubborn.

I have to tell you that so many times, when I find myself in a similar situation, I pray about the others. I pray for the ones I'm speaking to and say, "Lord, soften their hearts. Help them see it my way."

But, maybe God wants to teach me something sometimes by making people stubborn. Maybe people who don't just follow me blindly are meant to test my perserverance. Maybe I should pray for God to change me more than I pray for Him to change other people. Like Ezekiel, I need to ask him to make my face harder than granite. After all, as James wrote, "You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." -James 1:2-3 (the Message)

I want to be mature and complete. I want not to be deficient in any way. So, Lord, make me more stubborn.

And, about those abs...