Has God ever asked you to do something you felt unqualified for? Have you ever made excuses as to why you couldn’t? I know I have, several times in my life. The Bible is filled with stories of God using men and women who weren’t qualified, but one in particular came to my mind this weekend. His name is Moses.

His first encounter with God was in Exodus 3 when he saw a bush that was burning but not burning up and thought, ‘Golly-G-Willikers, check this out!’. I mean really, he was tending sheep in the middle of nowhere and right there, bush on fire and when he approached he heard his name being called. Freaky! Verses 5-6 says, Then God said, “Don’t come any closer. Take off your sandals. You are standing on holy ground. ⁶ I am the God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

So the rest of this chapter and the first part of the next, God has to prove to Moses who he is and what He’s capable of doing and will do through him. Seriously good stuff here. Read it for yourself but I really want to show you what God showed me on Saturday. Exodus 4:10-14 Then Moses said to the Lord, “But, Lord, I am telling you, I am not a good speaker. I have never been able to speak well. And that hasn’t changed since you started talking to me. I am still not a good speaker. You know that I speak slowly and don’t use the best words.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who made a person’s mouth? And who can make someone deaf or not able to speak? Who can make a person blind? Who can make a person able to see? I am the one. I am the Lord.  So go. I will be with you when you speak. I will give you the words to say.” But Moses said, “My Lord, I beg you to send someone else, not me.” Then the Lord became angry with Moses and said, “All right! I’ll give you someone to help you. Aaron the Levite is your brother, isn’t he? He is a good speaker.”

Do you see that? God spends all that time showing Moses what he can do and Moses says, send someone else. Did you see how angry that made God? Moses was Gods first choice to speak through, 2nd choice was Aaron. I can’t help but wonder if the children of Israel hadn’t been so familiar with the 2nd voice, would they have made the golden calf?

Fast forward to chapter 32, that’s where Moses has been with God on the mountain for 40 days and Aaron has the people make a golden calf and party hearty. Verse 9-13 is where I want you to focus. God is very angry and tells Moses that the people have sinned greatly and He is going to destroy them all and raise up a nation from Moses. Listen to this man who at the beginning didn’t want to speak because he wasn’t qualified; But Moses begged the Lord his God, “Lord, don’t let your anger destroy your people. You brought them out of Egypt with your great power and strength.  But if you destroy your people, the Egyptians will say, ‘God planned to do bad things to his people. That is why he led them out of Egypt. He wanted to kill them in the mountains. He wanted to wipe them off the earth.’ So don’t be angry with your people. Please change your mind! Don’t destroy them. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. These men served you, and you used your name to make a promise to them. You said, ‘I will make your people as many as the stars in the sky. I will give your people all this land as I promised. This land will be theirs forever.’”

So what changed Moses from afraid to bold? Spending time with God! Moses went from ‘send someone else!’ to boldly talking to God in behalf of the people. Verse 14 says,  So the Lord felt sorry for the people. He did not do what he said he might do—he did not destroy them. Moses interceded for the people and God listened. 

What will you take away from this story today? What has God called you to do and why aren’t you doing it? Perhaps what you need is a new revelation of who God is and what He is capable of doing through you. There are men and women all around the world who are waiting for what is in you, waiting for you to say yes, here I am Lord, send me. You can’t just throw your money at the missionary while he’s at your church than turn a blind eye to those God’s put in your work place or neighborhood. He’s called us ALL to be disciple makers. Yes, even you.