Series: Champions Of Grace Moses Lesson 6

                      But who am I that I should go?

Exodus 3:9-11 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you will bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?

I am sure that Moses had lived with a terrible sense of failure for 40 years. I am positive the last thing in the world he expected was for God to send him back to Egypt to deliver his people. He probably blamed himself for his people's continual misery as Egyptian slaves. He probably blamed himself for the reason why they were still in terrible bondage and not experiencing the freedom and goodness that God had for them. I am sure he lived with his sense of failure for 40 years in the wilderness of Midian. 

However, what Moses did not realize was his failure was God's success. It was the very thing God used to humble his heart, placing his heart in a position the Lord could work with. Now after 40 years in the wilderness, he was ready to be an instrument of God's mighty power. 

However, when the call of God came to his life, there was an issue the Lord had to work through. Moses felt he was the last man on earth qualified to deliver his people from the hand of Pharaoh. 

Exodus 4:10 And Moses said to the Lord, I am not eloquent...I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.

Wow! Isn't it amazing this man once fluent in various languages now says to the Lord, I can't speak. I am slow of speech and of tongue. In other words, Moses saw his ability to communicate as a terrible weakness in his life. The thought of standing and speaking to someone as high and mighty as Pharaoh sent shivers down his spine. In essence, Moses is saying, "God, I can't go and speak to someone like Pharaoh. It will be a disaster. When it comes to communicating, I am terrible at it. It will be a terrible hinderance." 

Often when God calls you to do something, it is not uncommon to sense your inadequacies.                        It is not uncommon to suddenly focus on your weaknesses. Like Moses, we can begin making a list of all the limitations in our life that would be a terrible hinderance in achieving the call of God. 

God, here's my list. I can't do what you told me to do because I'm not smart enough, I'm not eloquent enough, I'm not talented enough, I'm not skilled enough. All these things will be a terrible hinderance.

Vs. 12 And God said, I will be with you. And this will be a sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.

So God comforts Moses by assuring him, "I will be with you." The Lord assures Moses that he will not fail in what God has sent him to do. Yet, Moses makes another attempt at changing God's mind.                        

Vs. 13 And Moses said, Oh, my Lord, I beseech you, please send someone else. 

Here is another snare we can fall into if we are not careful: when God calls us to do something specific, we feel someone else would be better qualified and God should look for someone else. In fact, we may begin telling the Lord who He should send. "But God, why don't you pick Tom, Frank or John? They are better qualified than I am. Look at their giftings. Look at their abilities. Surely one of them would do a much better job than me. Call one of them. That makes better sense." 

Yet, what was God's response to Moses? 

Vs. 14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. Look! He comes to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in heart." 

So God told Moses, "I will send Aaron, your brother with you."

And what did the Lord say about Aaron? "I know he can speak well."

So, God Himself said about Aaron, "He is a good speaker. He is a gifted orator. He really communicates well." 

However, here is what we need to understand: Aaron was not God's choice. Why?

Aaron had not spent quality time with the Lord in cultivating intimacy and growing in the character of God (Of course I am referring back to Lesson  3). Because of it, Aaron did not know the ways of God. And because of that, he was led by the fear of man. If you remember in Exodus 32, when Moses delayed to come down the mountain the people insisted that Aaron be their new leader and demanded he make them gods to go before them. Aaron feared the people and made them an idol of gold. Aaron was not God's choice because God saw the fear of man and the idolatry in his heart. Regardless of his great communication skills, he was not God's choice. 

Please allow me to share with you where this teaching came from

Years ago, when the Lord first called me to Pastor, I really struggled with the call.

Other men immediately came to mind who seemed so much more qualified than I. I began to complain and tell the Lord, "God, I feel so inadequate. I see so many others who are more qualified than me. I see others who would be a lot more effective."

And to be honest with you, I was thinking about another man who I graduated bible college with.

For the life of me, I could not figure out why the Lord didn't call this man. I kept telling the Lord, "But God, this person really has it all. He has charisma; he lights up a room when he walks in, and people love to be around him. He is definitely a natural born leader. He has communication skills I won't have in a million years. And talk about giftings! This man can preach circles around me! Why in the world would you call me and not him?" 

Even as a Pastor, for years I still questioned God on the matter. Why me?! Why not him?!

Finally my wife grew tired of my complaining. After a time of personal prayer with the Lord, she walked out of her prayer closet and told me to sit down. Then very lovingly she said, "Tim, you're right. There are a lot of men out there who are more gifted than you. But how do you know they will not lead the people astray like Aaron did? God told Moses that Aaron could speak well, but look where Aaron led the people when Moses was on the mountain." Then Jessa said something that still resonates in my heart today, "Tim, God called you because you walk close to His heart and He trusts you."

At that moment the light went on: "God trusts me. He trusts me. Case closed." 

Those words spoke volumes to me then and they still speak volumes to me today. 

And here is something I have learned over the years: Where we lack in ability, God can make up for in anointing. The anointing makes the difference!

Thinking about little David, sometimes I can't help but wonder when the lion and the bear came out of the woods and took a sheep, was there just a split second when David looked at his scrawny little arms and thought, "What could I possibly do with these?" But then the Holy Spirit spoke to His heart, "Don't worry, little David. You wrap that bony little hand around your slingshot and I will do the rest. Where you lack in strength, I will make up for in anointing." The anointing makes the difference!

So, let's end with this question: "When God does call someone, what does He ask of them?"                

Two thoughts come to mind. 

Exodus 4:1, 2 

And Moses answered and said, "But look, they will not believe me, or listen to my voice; for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you." And the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A rod." 

So God asks Moses, "What is that in your hand?" In other words, "What do you got? What do you have?" My point is that so often we get so focused on what we don't have and God is only asking us to give Him what we do have. When God calls us, He is simply saying, "Just give me what you have and watch me perform miracles with it." 

"Moses, what is that?" "A rod."

"David, what is that?" "A slingshot."

"Gideon, what is that?" "A trumpet."

"Little boy, what is that?" "A few fish and loaves."

"Well, give it to me and watch what I do with it."

I am truly convinced when we get to heaven there is going to be a museum there called "Heaven's Museum of Faith." In that museum behind a beautiful glass case, there will be a slingshot. We are going to say, "Wow! There it is! David's slingshot." In that museum there is going to be a rod. We are going to exclaim, "Look! Moses rod! I would love to hold that rod in my hands just one time." We might then turn around and see a really big glass case displaying a boat where someone stepped out in faith and walked on the water. Then we might turn and see an old brass trumpet. Looking to the angel who is overseeing it all, we ask, "Oh wow! Is that Joshua's trumpet? Is that Gideon's trumpet?" The angel will answer, "Nope. That was your grandma's trumpet. She used it to call nine hungry farmhands in from the fields for supper. Before she blew that trumpet, she always prayed and asked God to stretch the meat and potatoes." 

Friends, in heaven I truly believe there is a museum of faith. I believe it is going to be a gigantic museum because all of God's people have something to give to Him in faith. God took what we had  and honored our faith by using it for His honor and glory. 

John 6:8-11 

One of the disciples, Andrew, said to him, "There is a lad here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Jesus said, "Make the men sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down.

In this story Jesus has a great need sitting before Him, thousands of people needing to be fed. However, does Jesus despair over the little He had to work with? No. He simply thanked God for it, put it in God's hands and watched Him perform miracles. 

Sometimes we may feel like we don't have anything great to give the Lord. I can't sing; I can't preach; I can't play a piano. Yet, God is saying, "Just give me a grateful heart. If you will walk before me with a thankful heart, you will see me take the little you have and perform some of the most life-changing miracles on earth." 

I truly believe people who have little giftings but large gratefulness will see God perform miracles through their life more than any people on the earth. God just cannot refuse a grateful heart. In John 6, if Jesus is teaching us anything, it is this: a grateful heart opens heaven's storehouse and all the resources of God are at your disposal.