This morning my prayer was focused on the teachings of the gospel. Because of the things I have been taught my relationships with my Heavenly Father and my Savior have been strengthened and I am able to see things with a different perspective, a more eternal perspective, which gives me some peace and comfort in this crazy world!
Exodus 3 & 4
I've been thinking a lot about how the Lord directs us in our lives and how it usually takes us in a different direction than we thought. We make a plan, we pray about it and we are sure this is the right direction we should be going, but somewhere along the journey we are placed in a situation that makes us stop and think about where to go next. When that happens a whole set of questions pop into your mind: Why is the plan changing? What happened to the old plan? What if I'm not comfortable with the new plan?
In Exodus 3 & 4 Moses is taken out of the shepherds life that he has been living for forty years and called to the position of prophet for the Lord. I think Moses reacts like many of us do, with excuses.
Moses’ first excuse is that of inability (Ex 3:1-12). Often we feel that we're not as qualified as someone else, or that we just don’t have the ability to get the job done properly. We forget one important truth – God chose us. Who knows best, you or God?
- If God has called us, He has done so with full knowledge of our weaknesses and inabilities. He knows you intimately. ( Psa. 103:14)
- If God has called us, He knows that we can accomplish the task through His power (Phil 4:13).
- When He sends us out into His work, He never sends us alone (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5; John 14:16-18; John 16:13).
- After the work has ended, He will gather us unto Himself where we will experience His great presence for eternity (John 14:3; Rev. 22:3).
Moses' second excuse is that of inadequacy (Ex 3: 13-22). In these verses, Moses is saying to the Lord, "I just don’t know enough about who you are!" Most of us might feel the same way. Not only do we feel that we are incapable of serving the Lord as we should, we also feel that we are just inadequate, that somehow, we just don’t know enough about God, His Word, etc, to get the job done.
God’s response to Moses is to remind him that He is the "I AM!" While Moses may be inadequate, the God who calls him and equips him certainly is not! God is in essence saying to Moses, "Just do as I say, and I will show you who I AM as you need me to." I think the same applies to us!
Do you think Noah felt adequate beside that Ark? What about David facing Goliath? All through the Bible, God’s people have been placed alongside obstacles against which they looked and felt inadequate, but with the power of God working through them, they were able to overcome them all. If God will do it for them, He will do it for you too! He is no respecter of persons (Rom.2:11).
Moses' third excuse is one of inferiority (Ex 4:1-9). Moses decides that if he tells people that he has had a personal meeting with God Himself, they will decide that Moses is lying. In other words, no one will believe what he tells them. Have you ever been in a situation where you did something because you felt it was what the Lord wanted and the people around you are looking at you like you are crazy? It makes no sense to them.
God’s response to Moses is to let him know that when the Lord gets through working in and through him, there will be no doubt in the minds of others as to the truth of Moses’ story! In fact, God makes it plain in verse 9 that no matter what the skeptics say, He will keep working in Moses until they are sure that his story is genuine! Remember it's not us, but Him that is doing the work, He can't fail!
Moses' fourth excuse is one of infirmity (Ex 4:10-17). Moses appeals to some sort of a speech impediment. It may be that Moses just thought and responded slowly, or it may be that he stuttered. Whatever the infirmity, Moses thinks it will keep him from doing the Lord's work. What is it that you tend to use as an excuse? Maybe you have a learning disability or depression, listen to what God has to say to Moses about such things:
God’s response to Moses is that He made man’s mouth and He made man’s mind, and He was able to give man what he needed when he needed it! There is no arguing with God, He always knows just what to say!
Eventually, Moses comes to accept what the Lord is asking him to do and visits Pharaoh. He gives up the life of a shepherd to go in a new direction, to lead God's people. That choice will lead him on a journey that is filled with challenges, blessings and more direction changes. It also provided him with the chance to grow into one of the most loved prophets of the Lord!
What direction changes has the Lord put in your life lately? How are you responding to these requests? It is hard to let go of one direction for another, especially when you felt like you were doing the right things to begin with. The cool thing about changing your direction to meet the Lord's is that you become a better person. A person whose new knowledge, trust and faith in the Lord leads you in new directions. So the next time you feel like giving the Lord a list of excuses, stop and think about the purpose of the changes and ask yourself if you are willing to give up the blessings and growth that comes from letting go and changing directions.
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