Unbeknownst to Me

By David Faust

“I have worked really hard for a long time, but mostly no one notices—or seems to care.”  

Can you relate to that statement? Those words, candidly shared by a veteran church leader, were spoken matter-of-factly, not with bitterness or excessive self-pity. Others who serve faithfully without much public recognition could say the same thing. Who else feels that way at times?  

• The preacher who has devoted his life to a small-town flock and has much wisdom to share, but never gets invited to speak to large gatherings.  
• The jail minister who visits prisoners week after week.  
• The moms and dads who forego bigger salaries to spend more time with their kids. 
• The minister in a city who labors without fanfare among the poor.  
• The cross-cultural worker whose mission field stays below the radar for security reasons.  
• The medical care provider overwhelmed by the never-ending line of patients who come to her clinic every morning.  
• The Bible college professor who earns a salary far below what faculty members at a state university make.  
• The hard-working church staffer who remains in the shadow of the congregation’s more prominent leaders. 
• The caregivers who spend their days looking after a spouse with dementia or a child with special needs. 

I read a description of the wedding feast in Cana where Jesus changed water into wine, and the writer suggested that the bride and groom “probably had no idea there was even a problem. Jesus just took care of it.” The writer mused, “I wonder how many problems in my life he’s taken care of, unbeknownst to me.” 

The Lord takes care of a lot of things “unbeknownst to me.” He often acts anonymously, without drawing attention to himself. And some of God’s most impactful servants do the same. They serve behind the scenes, in ways unheralded by the world.  

Revising Our Assumptions 

Too often, we evaluate a person’s contributions—our own and those of others—based on faulty assumptions. Popular culture says, “Put yourself first.” Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Conventional wisdom says, “Seek the limelight so others will recognize and reward you.” Jesus says, “Let your light shine so others will glorify God.”  

Why try to impress the crowd with what we wear, what we drive, and where we live? We can trust the Father to provide what we need. It’s tempting to pursue grand-sounding titles and to be impressed by flashy on-stage performances. But Jesus says, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12, New International Version). 

Blacksmiths and Pomegranate Makers 

In Old Testament times, Israel’s blacksmiths didn’t serve on the front lines, but they played an important role as they pounded iron on anvils and perspired beside hot forges. Farmers, lumber suppliers, and builders depended on blacksmiths to sharpen their plows, axes, and shovels. And in those days of hand-to-hand combat, soldiers relied on them to sharpen their swords and spears.  

This helps us understand the crisis described in 1 Samuel 13:19, which says, “Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel.” Somehow Israel’s clever rivals, the Philistines, managed to eliminate the blacksmith’s trade in Israel. Apparently, the blacksmiths were either killed, captured, or forced to stop practicing their craft. The results were disastrous. Where did the Israelites go to get their tools sharpened? To their archenemies! “So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened” (v. 20). Humiliated Israelites had to swallow their pride every time they sought the services of a Philistine blacksmith. To make matters worse, the Philistines gouged the Israelites by charging exorbitant prices. “The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads” (v. 21). 

As a result, “on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them” (v. 22). Without the blacksmiths, Israel’s army was virtually unarmed. The only two swords in the whole land belonged to the king and his son! No wonder Saul’s army was intimidated by Goliath. The army of Israel was practically weaponless, all because there were no blacksmiths. These unheralded servants worked behind the scenes in sweaty, dusty, out-of-the way shops, but God’s army couldn’t fight without them. 

Here’s another example. According to 1 Kings 7:15-22, when Solomon’s temple was built in Jerusalem, workers erected two enormous bronze pillars, each about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. Atop the pillars stood bronze capitals, artfully shaped like lilies, measuring another seven and a half feet in height. Altogether, the pillars and their capitals towered over 34 feet above the ground—about the height of a three-story building today.  

Artisans decorated the tops of the capitals with 200 beautiful pomegranates arranged in neat rows. Those ornamental pomegranates were positioned so high in the air that no one standing on the ground could fully view the craftsmen’s work. Only God could see the fruit of their labor, but his opinion and approval mattered most. 

It’s possible that for part of your life—or even most of your life—God may call you to be a “blacksmith” or a “pomegranate maker.”  If you do unglamorous jobs behind the scenes but your motivation is to glorify God, if there are times when you feel over-worked and under-appreciated, don’t be discouraged.  

Even when your efforts are unbeknownst to others, the Lord knows. “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).