When Obedience Seems to Be Doing Nothing

One of the hardest parts of following God is continuing to obey Him when it doesn’t seem like our obedience is accomplishing anything.

We like progress we can see. We like prayers that get answered quickly, doors that open clearly, circumstances that change noticeably, and confirmation that we are headed in the right direction. When we obey God, some part of us expects to see something happen. But sometimes obedience looks a lot like walking around the same wall again. That is part of what makes Joshua 6 such a powerful picture of faith.

Israel had finally entered the Promised Land, but Jericho stood directly in their path. It was fortified, intimidating, and seemingly impossible to conquer. Yet God gave Joshua a battle plan that probably wouldn’t have made it through many military strategy meetings. March around the city. Once a day for six days. Don’t attack. Don’t storm the gates. Don’t build siege ramps. Just walk. So they did.

Imagine being one of the Israelites on that first day. You walk around Jericho exactly as God commanded. And nothing happens. The walls don’t shake. Stones don’t fall. Cracks don’t appear. Day two: walk again. Nothing. Day three. Nothing. Day four. Still nothing.

By day six, they had walked around Jericho six times and had absolutely no visible evidence that their obedience was accomplishing anything. The walls looked exactly like they did before they started. That is where faith becomes real. It is relatively easy to obey God when obedience produces immediate results. It is much harder to keep walking when the walls aren’t moving. Yet Scripture tells us: “Thus shall you do for six days.” Joshua 6:14

God had already told them what to do. Their responsibility wasn’t to understand how marching would bring down a fortified city. Their responsibility was simply to obey. You are responsible for obedience. God is responsible for the outcome. That distinction can change the way we live.

Sometimes we unknowingly treat obedience like a transaction with God.

“I obeyed, Lord. Now where is the result?”

I prayed.
I forgave.
I gave.
I served.
I waited.
I remained faithful.
I did what You asked.

So why hasn’t anything changed?

Joshua 6 reminds us that obedience is not a lever we pull to make God produce the outcome we want. Obedience is an expression of trust. We obey because He is God and because we trust His wisdom even when we cannot see His activity.

Hebrews 11:30 says: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” Notice those words: “by faith.” Their marching didn’t mechanically weaken the walls. God brought the walls down. But He invited His people to participate through obedient faith. They walked. God moved.

This is where we can easily become discouraged. We assume that because we cannot see God doing something, God must not be doing anything. Those are not the same thing. The Israelites couldn’t see anything happening to Jericho during those first six days. But every lap was bringing them closer to the moment God had appointed. Sometimes God is doing His deepest work where we cannot see it. 

You may be praying for someone you love and see no change. Keep praying. You may be faithfully serving and wondering whether it matters. Keep serving. You may be trying to honor God in your marriage, parenting, finances, workplace, or relationships without seeing the fruit you hoped for. Keep walking.

You may have obeyed God in something difficult and now find yourself wondering whether you misunderstood Him because nothing seems to be happening. Keep trusting. Faithfulness is not measured by how quickly we see results. Faithfulness is measured by whether we continue walking with God.

Then came the seventh day. This time Israel marched around Jericho seven times. The priests blew the trumpets, Joshua told the people to shout, and Scripture says: “As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat.”  Joshua 6:20

Suddenly the impossible happened. But imagine if they had stopped on day six. Imagine deciding, “We’ve tried this long enough. Nothing is happening.” They would have quit one day before the breakthrough. 

We rarely know which lap we are on. Maybe you are on lap two. Maybe lap six. Maybe you have been walking around the same situation for years. Our job is not to determine when the wall should fall. Our job is to listen to God and faithfully take the next step He gives us.

You are responsible for obedience. God is responsible for the outcome.

That means you don’t have to manipulate the results. You don’t have to force doors open. You don’t have to make people change. You don’t have to manufacture a miracle. You don’t even have to understand exactly how God is going to accomplish what He has promised. You simply need to remain faithful.

There will be seasons when obedience feels exciting because you can clearly see God moving. Treasure those seasons. But there will also be seasons when obedience feels repetitive, quiet, and seemingly unproductive. Those seasons require courageous faith.

Keep praying when nothing seems to change.

Keep loving when it isn’t reciprocated.

Keep forgiving when it costs you.

Keep giving when nobody notices.

Keep serving when there is no applause.

Keep opening Scripture.

Keep showing up.

Keep taking the next faithful step.

Keep walking around the wall.

Because the power was never in Israel’s ability to march around Jericho. The power belonged to the God who told them to march. And it still does. You are responsible for obedience. God is responsible for the outcome. So when you cannot see what God is doing, don’t mistake His silence for His absence. Trust His character. Trust His Word. Trust His timing.

And take another lap.