“I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt. Moses answered God, “But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt? “I’ll be with you,” God said. “And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain.” Exodus 3: 10-12, 13-14, 4:1-2, 10-13
Have you ever felt like the wrong person for the job? Moses felt that way too. He was standing before the God of the universe, yet he questioned his ability. Imagine the rolodex of people running through Moses’ head. Surely, there was someone else that could go accomplish the mission in Egypt. Apparently, God thought highly of Moses and had prepared him in the wilderness for this moment. God was not surprised or discouraged by Moses’ initial hesitation.
13 Then Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, ‘The God of your fathers sent me to you’; and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What do I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, ‘I-AM sent me to you.'”
Moses was not convinced. He saw the limitation of his own ability and intelligence instead of God’s power. What would Moses say to the King of Egypt? He had no idea. However, his lack of words was not going to disqualify him in God’s eyes.
1 Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!'”
2 So God said, “What’s that in your hand?” “A staff.”
Moses looked down at his hand. He was just holding a shepherd’s staff. He had used it to walk down wilderness roads with his sheep. It had never been anything special. He remembered when he had carved it out of an old tree branch. How could God use his staff? It seemed to have no value. But God simply wanted to use the thing that was already in Moses’ hand.
10 Moses raised another objection to God: “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer.”
11-12 God said, “And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn’t it I, God? So, get going. I’ll be right there with you—with your mouth! I’ll be right there to teach you what to say.”
13 He said, “Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!”
Moses just wanted someone else to go. He had made a life in the wilderness and was not wanting to leave. He knew the challenge associated with going to Egypt. God said that he would be with Moses. However, Moses saw his lack of confidence and inability to speak as greater obstacles than his faith in God. Moses eventually went to Egypt, but God had to send his brother with him.
Following God required Moses to be bold. He was going to have to step out in faith. God showed up on an ordinary day in a burning bush. The burning bush and the call of God changed the course of Moses’ life. Although he initially objected, God used Moses to deliver a nation from the bondage of slavery.
What is God asking you to do? What are the excuses or obstacles that are standing in the way? Are you waiting on God to send someone else? Take heart. God will be with you as you are obedient to Him. Don’t let fear hinder you from being the answer to someone’s prayer. The Israelites had cried out to God for deliverance from slavery for years. God picked Moses to go. God is picking you. How will you respond?
*If you enjoy what you are reading, subscribe to e-mail updates.