Moses is still not sure he’s the best man for the job. God is making a HUGE ask here, and Moses continues to question the Almighty. That takes some gumption to question God. In the face of the same situation, I don’t know that I would have been any different. I would not have felt worthy for the mission. In our business, we call such thoughts – limiting beliefs. We, like Moses, often halt our own progress and success because of our limiting beliefs.
We need to remember who is in charge. God. We need to remember that his power is greater than anything. If called on by God, we should be saying, “Yes, Sir” and not digging up all of our shortcomings. But here, we see that God did have another plan in mind. He must have known Moses would balk at the assignment and why. Aaron, Moses’ brother is on the way. They will team up and take God’s marching orders right to Pharaoh.
They are not going empty-handed. God showed Moses at least three signs he could show to prove they had been sent by God. There was the staff to snake miracle, the hidden hand healing, and changing the Nile water to blood. After what Moses did years ago, he has internalized a belief that he will not be welcome and/or listened to. We, too, can let circumstances and events from our past strangle or cripple us from greatness.
Do you think Moses was trying to get out of this mission with all the excuses? I loved how God stayed patient with Moses at first. What he said is true for us, too. So if you have any fear of public speaking, or even just communicating with someone in authority, remember God’s words to Moses. “Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
I know from my own personal experience that when I am leading worship or called to speak on a topic for our business, I pray first. I want God’s words to come out of my mouth. They sound so much better than my own. And when I rely on him, the fear seems to vanish. If you haven’t tried it, you should.
We need to call on the Lord when we are feeling weak. His power is not just for the Bible heroes. He wants to make heroes out of us, too. Each day we face the enemy. We may feel surrounded when we think about the evil lurking in the world. We can stand boldly against the temptation of evil when we are armed with God’s power.
Let’s pray. Lord, protect me today from the evil running rampant in the world. Help me remember you are always standing guard and watching over me. May I always call on your power instead of trying to be the hero without you. Help me see the areas of need around me. Give me discernment. Equip me for service this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
