‘And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” ‘
Exodus 14:13-14
“So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 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.” 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.’ ””
Exodus 3:10-14
This chapter Moses and the burning bush has been sitting on me a lot after teaching it Sunday to the kids. This little section where God calls Moses out of being a shepherd in the wilderness for the rest of his life, telling him that he will be a leader for the Israelites to bring them out of slavery in Egypt has so much to take away but my biggest takeaway is how similar Moses responses are to what I’d prob say and do say everyday when God makes it so clear to do something or go a certain direction. Moses’ feels like he’s not the man for the job, he doesn’t have the skills or meet the criteria to be a leader for a job this big, and so often don’t we do the same even if it’s with much much smaller things? It’s easy to make excuses that we’re not good enough or we don’t know what to do cause that’s the truth, we’re not good enough and we’ll never have a clue but there’s one big piece I know I miss a lot. God is with us! It’s okay to be afraid and not feel qualified cause most of the time we’re not but with God by our side, fighting with us and for us we don’t have to be afraid and we don’t have any skills cause He gives us more than enough to conquer whatever He’s put in our path. This was big for me last week, going into some situations where I knew what God wanted me to do and I let my fear and insecurities take control, which led to excuses which ultimately led to me staying in my comfortable little bubble staying away from what God called me to and what he’s capable of. I don’t know how often you do this but when we let ourselves get in the way, we limit the awesome things God has in store for us. God gives us opportunities to step out our comfort bubble so we have to lean on Him and knowing God is with us, that’s where boldness and confidence like we’ve never imagined comes from. Living with God in the lead, keeping ourselves out of the way, opens up an endless space to grow and be strengthened by walking into the uncomfortable. It allows us to see just how limitless God is and how we’re not really living when we start making our bubble so comfy it limits his space to work through us. Moses could’ve stayed in the desert with his sheep living a boring life but God called him to more and without God he would’ve have never led the Israelites out of Egypt but with God the rest of his life was completely and amazingly changed. I don’t know about you but a boring life in the desert sounds pretty crappy. God has called us for more and we’ll never experience the fullness of life that He has for us until we go with God wherever He decides to take us. Don’t be afraid and feel like you’re not enough because with God you have confidence and boldness to live a life where there’s nowhere you can’t go and nothing you can’t do, why? Because God is with you!!!
“It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, he said to him, “I am the Lord! Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I am telling you.” But Moses argued with the Lord, saying, “I can’t do it! I’m such a clumsy speaker! Why should Pharaoh listen to me?””
Exodus 6:27-30
“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.
Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!””
Exodus 14:13-16, 21-25
Staying in Exodus today, just seeing this story in a deeper light and looking into Moses example for us hear. And it’s not your usual example like you would think when you hear of Moses. We’ve always looked to great men of faith in the Bible like Moses and simply wished, “I wish I had faith like Moses so I could do amazing stuff like Moses did.” But the big example here is looking at just how HUMAN Moses is. Looking at how he had so much fear, doubt and worry about living out what God had called him to do. Moses is just as human as me and you which is comforting to know. You can see it in the first set of verses where Moses starts questioning and doubting what God is telling him to do like he had already done so many times through Exodus.
What’s cool is looking at the second set of verses and seeing how the story changes for Moses. How did this doubtful, worried and scared man accomplish such an awesome miracle by parting the seas to save the Israelites from the Egyptians? The difference in Moses in the first set and Moses hear is simply God! Moses didn’t do anything special, he actually did nothing at all. It was all God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and saved them from the pursuing Egyptian army. Like it says in this song, “my fear doesn’t stand a chance when I’m standing in your love.”
I can’t tell you from Moses point of view what exactly clicked during that time from doubt to faith but all I can see hear and all I can tell you from my own life is God. Just like Moses we become fearful at times, we become worried and we definitely have some doubt creep in. After submitting all that fear to God, standing in His powerful presence and watching Him work so faithfully in our lives, time and time again, how can you not trust in a God who always delivers? You see how Moses goes from, “I cant speak in front of people, NO WAY God!” To “don’t worry guys, be patient, God’s got us!” He speaks with so much faith and confidence, he raises his staff trusting fully in what God is going to do! Although we have fear like Moses, we can have the same kind of unwavering, bold, and strong faith too! Not to be like Moses or anything to do with him, but we serve the same God who rose the waves of the sea up delivering the Israelites into freedom! We serve the same God who can do anything and loves us so much He stays right by our side and so faithfully answers our doubt with “watch this!” Because of the faithfulness and love of God, let’s strive to live in His presence, to stand under His Word and completely submit our fears, weakness and wants to Him, getting us completely out of the way, moving obediently trusting God because of what He’s continuously done in our lives and what He is faithful to do today and tomorrow! It’s God’s love we stand in and what a place that is to be! In God’s love, fear has no place but only faith is what we have to hold onto and daggum faith is more than enough because it’s faith in the living God who is way more than enough!!!! Choosing faith over fear is just choosing to trust in God instead of yourself!!!! Choose God and watch faith arise!!!!
Stand in God’s loving presence today and watch your fears fade away, then watch God split the seas apart!!
“But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand. “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.””
-Exodus 4:1-10
I ran across this story from Exodus about a fella named Moses. It’s a pretty popular story that I’m sure most of you have heard but took something away from it today that really helped me see this relationship I have with God and who He is even deeper. I pray this message can open you up to see God in the bigness and awesomeness that He’s in and it can be an encouragement for you also!
Reading over this Word, there is so much that can be taken from it! The context surrounding this conversation between Moses and God is that God’s calling Moses to go into Israel and ask the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The Israelites who have been there for years now working as slaves, I don’t know about you but much like Moses I’d be afraid to go the king and ask this. Wouldn’t you?
In this conversation we can see so much into who we are but even more into who God is! Moses starts off these verses in doubt, “what if they don’t believe me?” Moses is obviously fearful and worried about how this will play out. Then God being who He is, gives Moses three different ways, “signs” which are completely AMAZING! Only miracles that God has the power to do. In that, God is giving Moses all the reasons why they will believe him, why they will believe that God has sent Him. But what lies deeper here isn’t just Moses’ worry and doubt over what the Pharaoh will think or say, Moses is in doubt that he can answer this call from God and walk out what God is calling him to do. Moses’ doubts root from himself. The first batch of doubts are more of excuses that unleash his real reason for being so afraid in the last verse, “what if I can’t say what you want me to say?” Basically what if I mess up?
Moses is revealing to God that his insecurities are about himself and his incapability to do this for God. So often, I know that throughout my day I focus on me, focus on what I can’t do, what I’m not good at or just my own weaknesses to live as God has called me to live. There are so many moments when I feel like I don’t have what it takes or don’t have the “skills” necessary to do what God wants me to do. Just like Moses, I focus on me and what I can’t do, then use that as an excuses why I won’t even try. We are just as human as Moses and can relate to him so much here, we have moments of doubt, where we feel inadequate or not equipped enough. But the same truth that God placed in front of Moses isn’t just signs to show us why we should be obedient, they are examples and moments where we see who God is, first off that God is saying, “don’t worry, I got you!” Even though you may not have what it takes I just want you to show up in obedience to what I’ve called you to and I’ll be with you, I’ll take care of the rest. How comforting is that? To know that God is with us and fights for us!!!
Then we see that God gives Moses every reason to change his focus from his doubts of what he’s got and we see a picture of every reason we should put all of our focus on God and what He can do which is ANYTHING!!! God’s signs may not look the same way as they do in this story for us but look around you, look at what all His power has created and all the amazing work He’s done in our lives. God gives us everything we need to trust and focus on who He is. When God calls us to live a certain way or do something for Him, although it’s out of our comfort zone, we may feel some initial doubt and worry about if we can do this but always go back to putting your eyes on God and what He can do, what He has done! If we focus on us and what we’ve got then of course we’ll live the rest of our lives making excuses and not ever moving forward into what God has called us to. WHY? Because we don’t have what it takes but we’ve got God and He has more than enough!
What’s really cool about this lesson of obedience, after God continues to show Moses more of Himself, Moses finally moves in obedience to God. Moses goes and eventually helps lead the Israelites out of Egypt where they were in slavery and into FREEDOM, into a place where they accepted God as their Savior! See what happens when we get ourselves out of the way and submit to God and His complete power in our lives? People are SAVED!!! If God calls you to something, it’s okay to feel some doubt in you but just remember that it’s not you that can be obedient or take that next step of faith, it’s God and who He is that moves us out of our self-doubt and into faith and trust in Him! Focus on God, who He is and what He can do!!! Moving, taking that next step of obedience becomes much easier knowing “I may not have enough, but I’m going to show up and God’s going to show out!!!!” It’s so awesome how God calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things!!! What separates ordinary from extraordinary is having God in it and the good thing is, He’s always in it, we just have to get ourselves out of it! It’s exciting and awesome to think of what God can and will do through people who are obedient to Him out of faith for who He is and what He can do!!!
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