LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Moses has another faith lesson to learn. He has run out of excuses for his fears, so now he begs for God to send someone else to do the job to which he has been called.

Exodus 4:13-17 But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Then the LORD’S anger burned against Moses and he said, ”What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it.”

After all his excuses are answered and the needs met, Moses finally decides he’s just not interested in the task. It’s probable that he wasn’t interested from the very beginning, but like most of us he chose to seek a justifiable reason for turning it down, rather than admitting the truth right up front. I’ll bet Moses even justified his dishonest behavior by thinking he would let God down easy. I’ve done that. Maybe you have too.

It’s amazing how often our need for self-protection influences our choices. We have this incredible need to save face and protect our image. But God forced Moses to reach the point where he had to admit the truth. Moses finally had to say, “I don’t care enough to go.”

Moses cared a little – he wanted someone to go. He just didn’t care enough to sacrifice his own life and conquer his own fears to answer the call. His own personal struggles were far more important to him than the struggles of his own people suffering in slavery in Egypt. His mother and father might still be alive. His whole family is still there. But all he can do is choose an outcome that benefits himself most. If this were not so frighteningly true for me, I would be mad at Moses. But I make choices like that every day for the same reasons. I need to grow in my faith too.

God does not let us get away with such choices. When He has called us to a task, there is no escape. Somehow, someday, He will bring to completion the plan and purpose He has for us. He provided Moses with Aaron so that Moses had no escape from his calling. He is already at work to bring each one of us to a point of positive response to his purpose. The only consequence of our rejection today is the loss of blessing we could be experiencing.

Imagine how much more Moses would have been blessed if he had said yes right away and experienced the transforming power of God in his life to do what was humanly impossible. Moses got to see God’s power displayed in external activity, but he missed the blessing of God’s internal activity. God will accomplish his purpose, and that will bless us; but when by faith we join Him in the adventure we experience an even greater blessing – the blessing of a prosperous and content spirit.

After all the excuses have been expressed, the bottom line is that they were all a cover-up for a selfish heart. Let’s learn to admit that problem right up front. God will meet our need, conquer our fears, and empower us for the task. Then we will be complete, knowing that we have participated in something not humanly possible and not dependent upon human recognition, but something of eternal value. There is no greater joy than that experience.

Pastor John