The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the
misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of
their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue
them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that
land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:7-8a NIV
When you cry out
to God in the midst of suffering, do you ever wish He’d come down and give you
a definitive game plan like He gave Moses? It’s easy to say, “If God actually
stood in front of me and explained how the solution to my problem would work
out, I wouldn’t react like Moses. I would do exactly what I was told.” Hmmmm.
Maybe.
Because God
doesn’t appear to us out of a burning bush, we sometimes lack faith that He is
attentive to see, hear, be concerned, and rescue us. Aside from the fact Christians
have life experiences showing He’s done just that, if we believe God is who He
claims to be, then—given all the examples of His perfect will and timing in the
Bible—why do we refuse to put total
trust in His plans—no matter how slow or fast they unfold for us?
An obvious
reason is few of us can claim an audience with God like Moses had. Not a
physical audience. I mean Moses’ willingness to be completely “there” in God’s
presence, contrasted with our busy lifestyles where we sometimes squeeze prayer
in between other activities. This doesn’t allow silent meditation for God
to speak to us so we can feel firmly rooted in His guidance.
Moses:
- listened
- asked questions
- asked for provision
But we also don’t
believe we can experience God on the level Moses did. The biggest reason is self-doubt.
Like Moses. Instead of trusting God to bring us up out of our
problems His way and in His perfect time, we get distracted by our reasons it
might not happen.
I began re-reading
the Bible at the beginning of the year. Exodus 3-4 really spoke to me about how
my attitude and life often mirrors Moses.
But
Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the
Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11
 |
| What if I can't? |
Wow! How many times have I uttered something similar when God
opens a door or smoothes a path for me?
What if I can’t do
that? What if I don’t succeed? What
if I’ve misunderstood His direction?
God’s patience must surely be tried when He sees my
self-doubt instead of reliance on Him. But He always gives me the same
assurance He gave Moses:
And
God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it
is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will
worship God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:12
So, that’s enough, right? End of story. Moses obeyed. We obey. Hmmmm. Not so
fast.
Moses
said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your
fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what
shall I tell them?”
God
said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are
to say to the Israelites: ‘I
am
has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The
Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ Exodus 3:13-15a
It’s mind boggling after God spoke those powerful words,
Moses still had self-doubts!
Moses
answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Exodus 4:1
Then God showed Moses the miracle of the staff and leprous
hand to use as signs.
The next passage is where I share a major similarity with Moses. Regardless of my level of faith in
God—my focus on my shortcomings impedes what He seeks to accomplish through and
for me.
Moses
said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord.
I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to
your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:10
I love God’s answer. J
The
Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings
their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight
or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help
you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:11-12
After all this reassurance, Moses still doesn’t get it. So
he did what many of us would—he tried to squirm out of God’s assignment. Up to
this point, God has been patient. However, Moses doesn’t have the insight he
does later when he comes off the mountain and finds the Israelites in all forms
of debauchery, and God opens the earth to swallow them. That might have given
Moses a different perspective in challenging God’s instructions. Instead, Moses
blunders ahead.
But Moses said, “Pardon your servant,
Lord. Please send someone else.” Exodus 4:13
Now God has heard enough. His patience has ended. He doesn’t let Moses off
the hook for being the one He called to lead the Israelites, but He offers a
solution that best matches Moses’ nature and spiritual maturity at that point
in time.
Then
the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said,
“What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is
already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and
put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what
to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will
be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with
it.” Exodus 4:14-17
Even in God’s anger toward Moses’ inward focus on his shortcomings, He still
provided a path for Moses to serve and obey Him. As Moses’ life unfolded, he
gained spiritual maturity and became the
leader God envisioned when He first called Moses to the task. To be effective
in our Christian walk and serving our risen Savior, we must have faith that He
is attentive to see, hear, be concerned, and rescue us
in His perfect time and His way. This may not match what we expect,
but we can trust Him to get it right.
What are you trusting God for today that you’re having trouble seeing His
hand in? I’d love to hear from you. If you would like prayer, please leave a
comment or e-mail me confidential requests. A prayer list at the top of the blog
has info on people we are praying for.
Praise Report:
Courtney, a young mother who’s battled a cancerous brain tumor (Glioblastoma)
for the past couple of years, went for her two-month checkup. She’s had several
clean MRIs. Here’s her latest update:
"Praise to the good Lord upstairs, my scan came back
clear!!!! In another 8 weeks, I will get another MRI and a PET scan. If
everything still looks good like today, I will be taken off my chemo!!!! [The
doctor] said this upcoming appointment will be the "big one" and to
be safe, they will do another MRI 6 weeks after. Thank you so much for the
prayers. They were certainly answered! God is so good!"
I agree wholeheartedly with Courtney. God is so good! He’s been merciful in
answering prayers for her healing.
On Friday, I’m traveling to Asheville, NC, to attend a weekend writer’s
conference at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. I’d appreciate
prayers for my safe travel and for spiritual guidance in my writing career this
year. I look forward to sharing my experience with you next week.
J
God bless,
Laura
✞
©Laura Hodges Poole
Images courtesy of
thepathtraveler/FreeDigitalPhotos.net (1)
Michael
Marcel/FreeDigitalPhotos.net (2)
Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
(3)
I first stopped at the chapel, slipped
inside, and sat on the back row while the guide talked to a couple near the
front. When the guide finished, I moseyed up as she took their picture and then
offered to take mine as they left. 
