Moses, a Reluctant Leader: Learning to Trust a Big God

I’ve been thinking about the story of Moses lately. I’ve always felt a special connection with Moses in his reluctance to do what God asks him to do and the weakness and insecurity he feels. Here’s a man who grew up in the palace as a prince of Egypt, a man who would have been educated and had connections with people of influence and power, and yet years after fleeing Egypt, settling in Midian and becoming a shepherd, he has no confidence whatsoever to be the leader God is calling him to be.

God appears to Moses one day through a burning bush that doesn’t burn up. God tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of the Hebrews, His people, and He’s sending Moses to Pharaoh to tell him to free the people. But Moses doesn’t want to go. He’s eaten up by fear. He comes up with five reasons why God shouldn’t send him, trying to convince God that He’s got the wrong man for the job. He says, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) and, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you?” (Exodus 4:1). The excuse I can most relate to comes in Exodus 4:10, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Have you ever felt the Lord calling you to something bigger than yourself, something so out of line with what you had envisioned for your life that you wonder if you’re hearing correctly? Something so beyond what you feel capable of doing in your own strength that you can’t help but say, “Please, Lord, not me. Could you send someone else?”

Maybe He’s calling you to a new career or ministry, or a move to a new city or country. Maybe He’s calling you to leave your career for a time to be home with your kids, or to bring more children into your home through adoption or fostering. Maybe, like me, He wants you to step out of the shadows and “[s]peak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Proverbs 31:8).

The question is: Will He be with you should you answer His call? The answer is a resounding yes! The Lord answered each of Moses’ doubts and told him what to do in each situation. I love how God says in Exodus 4:12, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Years later, the Lord also instructs Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). And God was with Moses, used his life mightily, and raised him up to be a great leader. We serve the very same God and we can grab hold of these promises and trust that He will be with us and strengthen us in the very same way.

So why not listen to that still, small whisper and take a leap of faith? Our God will never leave you or forsake you—He’s right here.

#christinrosa_writer