The Preacher's Perplexity
For almost fifty years, I stood in the pulpit and proclaimed God’s Word to congregations of every size, shape, and spiritual condition. Week after week, year after year, I opened the Scriptures, prayed for guidance, and delivered the message I believed God had placed on my heart. I never saw myself as the source of the message. I was the vessel, the tool, the instrument through which God chose to speak. My calling was simple: preach the Gospel so people could hear it, understand it, and respond by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Yet throughout those decades of ministry, one question continually rose in my heart, a question that formed the core of what I call the preacher’s perplexity: Are they listening? Not simply to me, but to God Himself. Are they hearing what He longs for them to know, to believe, and to do?
This perplexity is not new. It is as old as the prophets. I often felt a kinship with Jeremiah, especially when I read God’s words to him in Jeremiah 7:27: “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.” Those words echo through the centuries, landing squarely in the heart of every preacher who has ever poured out truth only to be met with silence, indifference, or polite nods that never translate into changed lives. There is a unique ache that comes from faithfully delivering God’s message and watching people walk away unchanged, unmoved, untouched. It is not pride that hurts—it is love. Love for God, love for His Word, and love for the people who desperately need what He is offering.
The perplexity deepens when this resistance appears not only in the congregation but within one’s own family. You speak from your heart, you share what you believe God’s will is, you open Scripture gently and humbly, hoping to encourage or guide. Yet even family members can develop a mindset that shuts out your voice entirely. They talk over you, dismiss your concerns, or simply refuse to hear your perspective. It is a painful thing when those closest to you will not listen—not because you want authority over them, but because you long for them to know the peace, direction, and blessing that comes from walking in God’s will. The preacher’s perplexity is not confined to the pulpit; it follows him home.
So what is the answer to this perplexity? What should a preacher do when people will not listen—when the message seems to fall on deaf ears, whether in the church or in the living room? The answer begins with remembering who truly carries the responsibility for results. The preacher’s calling is proclamation, not persuasion. God never commanded His messengers to guarantee outcomes. He commanded them to speak faithfully. The results belong to Him alone. A preacher must release the burden of trying to make people listen. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, not human effort.
Another part of the answer is perseverance. Jeremiah kept speaking even when no one listened. Jesus kept teaching even when crowds walked away. Paul kept preaching even when cities rejected him. Faithfulness is measured not by how many respond but by how steadfastly the message is delivered. The preacher must continue to speak truth with love, humility, and patience—even when the audience seems uninterested. Sometimes the seed takes years to sprout. Sometimes the Word works silently in ways unseen. Sometimes the listener appears unmoved but carries the message in their heart until the right moment.
Finally, the preacher must rest in the quiet assurance that God sees, God knows, and God uses every faithful effort. The perplexity may never fully disappear, but it can be softened by trust. God’s Word never returns void. Even when ears seem closed, God is still working. The preacher’s task is not to measure the harvest but to sow the seed.
The perplexity remains—but so does the calling. And in that calling, there is peace.