By Steven Norris
Have you ever had the feeling that God might be calling you to do something or perform a task that you are not qualified for or have no business doing? Consider Moses. He was born to Hebrew slaves in Egypt, raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, and lived in the lap of luxury. When he killed an Egyptian who was abusing an Israelite slave, he was forced to flee into the desert wilderness.
There, Moses encountered God in the form of a burning bush. God called Moses for a very specific purpose, but he responded with a series of of five objections — five reasons that God should choose someone else. See if these sound familiar:
1. Who am I? (Exodus 3:11). Moses starts by telling God, “I am a nobody. I am not good enough to be used by you.” How many of us could identify with not feeling good enough to be used by God? Yet, God responds to Moses by telling him, “I will be with you.” In other words, God is in control.
2. Who are you? (Exodus 3:13). Moses responds with a second common objection: I don’t know enough. How many times have we refused to step out or speak up because we do not know enough? In response, Moses receives God’s name — “I Am” — and a description of how God would intervene. God essentially tells Moses, “Don’t worry. I will send my Spirit ahead of you to prepare the way.” If God is calling us, then God will send the Spirit ahead of us to prepare the ground for the work ahead.
3. What if they don’t believe me? (Exodus 4:1). You can almost hear Moses, “But God, I don’t have a dramatic story. People won’t listen to what I have to say.” I am reminded of the man in John 9 who was healed of his blindness. When questioned by the religious leaders, he simply responds, “I don’t know about the things you ask. What I know is that I was blind, but now I see.” Stories do not have to be dramatic to witness to the truth.
4. I cannot speak well (Exodus 4:10). Moses’ fourth objection is a common one for many of us — I’m not eloquent, I stutter, I ramble, I don’t know what to say. “Who created your mouth?” God asks Moses. “I will be with you and will give you the words to speak.” Think about that: the God who spoke the creation into existence will give Moses the very words he is to speak.
5. Please send someone else (4:13). In other words, I don’t want to go. I would rather fly under the radar, stay in my comfort zone, and stick to what I know. Sometimes, our excuses boil down to this: “I don’t want to, Lord.” Yet, God always uses imperfect people to share the Good News of hope, love, and forgiveness.
God wants to use you, even if you feel that you are not smart enough, dynamic enough, eloquent enough, and are completely in over your head. If you sense God’s prompting today, remember that God does not always called the equipped, but God always equips the called.