One of my favorite characters in the Old Testament is Moses. He is perhaps one of the best known people of the Bible by even those outside of Christendom. Whole movies have been made about his life and experiences as the leader of the great nation of Israel, numbering several million people. The miracles he performed are well-documented as are many of his other achievements. He wrote the first five books of the Scriptures. Jesus makes reference of him in the Gospels and it is obvious he continued to be held in high regard by all the people of Israel.
But, Moses' legend did not have an auspicious beginning. If you read Exodus 3-4, you see that when God approached Moses with His plan to use Moses to rescue His chosen ones, Moses didn't think it was such a great idea. It may be hard for us to conceive of Moses having any doubt at all after God reveals Himself in a burning bush. You would think that was enough to convince Moses that he could trust God. But, Moses doubted...not God, but himself.
Maybe you have always been the more confident type and never had to deal with self-doubt, but I doubt it. I have yet to meet anyone who hasn't at one time or another, had doubts about their ability to carry out an assignment, complete a task, succeed in a plan, or develop a relationship. That may not seem like the same thing Moses is dealing with here, but whatever we are doing is what the Lord has given us to do. Paul wrote, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men (Eph. 6:7)." Thus, when we falter at the work we do, when we struggle with uncertainty in our roles as parents or spouses, when we doubt our abilities to make the right decisions and choose the right ways, we are being just like Moses.
God's response was not to tell Moses, "Everything will be alright," and,"You can do it." God turned Moses' attention to Himself. Each time He responded to Moses' doubts, He replied with a statement about Himself. "I will be with you." "I am who I am." "I will do these miracles to make the Egyptians believe you." "I will help you." "I will help you and teach you." Moses doubted until God finally became quite sharp with him, but God did not change His mind. Like a parent to a child, God told Moses, "You will do it (because I said so)." Ring a bell?
The good news is that God can still work with us even when we doubt. I look back over the many years that I have been following Christ and realize that I haven't always trusted God could work through me; and yet, He has accomplished some spectacular things that I would never have imagined were possible. I am eternally grateful for this and, as I have grown in my appreciation of His love for me and my awareness that He does have a plan as to what He wants to accomplish through me, I have been able to respond with trust and obedience and been able to see even greater things take place.
I would encourage you, don't wait. Put your trust in God that he can work through you even when you doubt that you have anything to offer. He asks you as He asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" Whatever it is, that is all He needs.
Godspeed, Doulos (God's servant) Phil
But, Moses' legend did not have an auspicious beginning. If you read Exodus 3-4, you see that when God approached Moses with His plan to use Moses to rescue His chosen ones, Moses didn't think it was such a great idea. It may be hard for us to conceive of Moses having any doubt at all after God reveals Himself in a burning bush. You would think that was enough to convince Moses that he could trust God. But, Moses doubted...not God, but himself.
Maybe you have always been the more confident type and never had to deal with self-doubt, but I doubt it. I have yet to meet anyone who hasn't at one time or another, had doubts about their ability to carry out an assignment, complete a task, succeed in a plan, or develop a relationship. That may not seem like the same thing Moses is dealing with here, but whatever we are doing is what the Lord has given us to do. Paul wrote, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men (Eph. 6:7)." Thus, when we falter at the work we do, when we struggle with uncertainty in our roles as parents or spouses, when we doubt our abilities to make the right decisions and choose the right ways, we are being just like Moses.
God's response was not to tell Moses, "Everything will be alright," and,"You can do it." God turned Moses' attention to Himself. Each time He responded to Moses' doubts, He replied with a statement about Himself. "I will be with you." "I am who I am." "I will do these miracles to make the Egyptians believe you." "I will help you." "I will help you and teach you." Moses doubted until God finally became quite sharp with him, but God did not change His mind. Like a parent to a child, God told Moses, "You will do it (because I said so)." Ring a bell?
The good news is that God can still work with us even when we doubt. I look back over the many years that I have been following Christ and realize that I haven't always trusted God could work through me; and yet, He has accomplished some spectacular things that I would never have imagined were possible. I am eternally grateful for this and, as I have grown in my appreciation of His love for me and my awareness that He does have a plan as to what He wants to accomplish through me, I have been able to respond with trust and obedience and been able to see even greater things take place.
I would encourage you, don't wait. Put your trust in God that he can work through you even when you doubt that you have anything to offer. He asks you as He asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" Whatever it is, that is all He needs.
Godspeed, Doulos (God's servant) Phil
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