Article written by Pastor Dan Preston of Bethany Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas.

A memorial that I visited in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau and is visible at a distance from the east, south and west. It contains the graves of 17,201 soldiers, most of whom lost their lives in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II. If I were to ask you to name one of those buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, could you do it? They willingly gave their lives for our country, yet most Americans couldn’t name one of them. They willingly gave their lives but for the most part they remain unknown.

Several decades prior to World War II, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was presiding over the funeral of a dear friend and fellow soldier who died fighting in World War I. With the thought of life continuing without his friend he wrote this famous poem.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Every once in a while, I look back at my experience visiting the memorial in the Philippines, and I imagine what these soldiers would say if they could talk. “Don’t forget us! Don’t forget the price we paid! Don’t forget the families we left behind so you could be free!” These brave soldiers were willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice, and approximately 100 years later they are relatively unknown. With Memorial Day upon us, I think it’s good for all of us to pause and give thought to the sacrifice paid by the many unknowns who lie in cemeteries all across the world.

As I contemplated this thought, I had to ask myself, is it any different in the spiritual realm? All throughout the Bible there are examples of people who willingly sacrificed so that the work of God would be accomplished. Recently, I have been preaching through the book of Nehemiah and came across a group of people in chapter 11 who are unknown, obscure, and forgotten people, yet they were invaluable to the work of God in Jerusalem. When was the last time you heard someone say that Hazarshual was his Bible hero?

In chapter 11 of Nehemiah, we find five specific groups who willingly gave something even though they may have never got recognition for it.

1. Those who willingly moved into the city (v. 2). They pulled up their roots, left the homes they knew, and started over within the city. To live within the ruins of the destroyed city would have been an enormous amount of work. Debris, stones, and rubble were everywhere. Yet, they willingly endured the work for the betterment of Jerusalem.
2. Those who willingly worked within the temple (vs. 10-12). In these verses the number of 822 people is given. That is quite a group. These people faithfully supported the work of the temple with their skills and gifts. The temple did not have trustees, sound men, and bus drivers as we have in our church today, but I am certain that everyone had an important job.
3. Those who willingly worked outside the House of God (vs. 15-16). In those days “outside work” didn’t just mean those who landscaped the temple grounds. Verse 16 refers to the leaders who worked outside the House of God, those who judged, handled civil affairs, counseled, and ministered to the public outside the place of worship.
4. Mattaniah, the leader, begins the thanksgiving prayer (vs. 17). You probably didn’t even know Mattaniah existed. It may have been that Mattaniah had little to no abilities when it came to singing, preaching, and teaching, but the man could pray. As always, the unsung hero of the church is the kneeling saint.
5. The singers for the service of the House of God (v. 22). It seems the entire role of these people was to learn and rehearse music for worship services in the temple. They loved God and wanted to contribute their talent.

I doubt anyone could have recalled one of these names prior to reading this article. It’s almost as if God has said, “I don’t want you to remember those names.” They are like the small crosses in the cemetery. We remember them, not as individuals, but as a mass of willing soldiers who made it possible for important things to continue without a hitch.

Even as I write this article, my mind is flooded with faces of those who have worked behind the scenes over the years and ministries I have been part of. People who play the instruments. Those who sing in the choir. Those who sing specials. Those who pray. Those who help in the nursery, who teach, who give, who counsel. Those who visit. The gifted hands that handle our sound system. Those who clean, do maintenance. Greeters and ushers. I give God praise for each of these who have willingly taken their places without the benefit of public applause.

Let me leave you with these three thoughts.

1. Being faithful and using the gifts God gave you may not make you famous but it does make you valuable. If you are gifted in an area that will never reach the spotlight, rest in the knowledge that you are valuable to God. Your work may be done anonymously, but you are not anonymous to God.
2. Nothing is forgotten, and your labor of love will certainly be remembered by Him. Hebrews 10:6 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Tuck that verse into the back pocket of your mind and every time you begin to feel discouraged because you don’t receive the recognition and affirmation you deserve, remember that God never overlooks a single deed.
3. Faithfulness is the measure of success, not public applause. Others may never know of your ministry. Others may never know the hours you have given. You may never get any credit for anything you have done, but that will have nothing to do with final rewards. God never checks the applause meter to measure the merit of our service or to determine our rewards.

The day I stood in that cemetery had a lasting effect on me. I can still envision the rows of white crosses standing guard over the remains of dead heroes. McCrae closed his poem with the reminder:

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I’m thinking of a pastor in rural America who’s working a secular job while at the same time doing the majority of the work in the church. I’m thinking of the missionaries thousands of miles from home wondering if anyone from the states even remembers them. I’m thinking of the staff member who carries a large part of the weekly load while seldom getting credit for it. May all those who faithfully serve in obscurity be genuinely encouraged to continue to take their place among the willing unknowns.