CONFIDENT HOPE DESPITE FRAILTY

“So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”  But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  (Exodus 3:10-11)

 

If a cat ever sits on a hot stove that cat will never sit on one again!  In fact, he won’t even sit on a cold one! 

 

Have you ever been burned?  You tried to do something good and it blew up in your face.  It’s hard to see yourself as anything but a failure and in your mind promise, “I’m not doing that again!”

 

So it was with Moses.  God showed up in dramatic fashion to arrest his stumbling servant’s attention.  But, Moses began to question whether he was the man for the job.  His past failure accentuated his present frailty and he began to make excuse after excuse.  “Who am I?” he incredulously responded to God’s re-commission.   The Lord let Him know—and we must grasp this—it isn’t who we are, but Who God is that makes the difference!

 

God answered each objection Moses presented.

 

He answered by giving SIGNS.  In Exodus 4:1-9 there are three supernatural signs offered to Moses. 

 

Here’s the first:

 

Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ” ‎So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”  And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” (4:1-5)

 

God doesn’t call us without equipping us.  If He has a work for us, then He provides the tools.  This shepherd staff would nevermore be the rod of Moses, but would be called, “The rod of God.”  It is a symbol of the power of God committed to the hand of man.   In the hand of Moses, that staff could only do what Moses could do—and that’s not much—but surrendered and reclaimed in faith it could do what the great I AM could do!  But what we have must be surrendered to Him or it has the nature of the Serpent about it!

 

Moses was also given SUPPORT.

 

Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”  So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?  Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”  So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.  Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.  So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.  (Exodus 4:10-16)

 

Moses had limitations.  He worried about his speech impediment.  Plain and simple, none of us have all the gifts, but all of us have some of the gifts, so that together we can do all God has for us despite our own frailty.  God gives people to assist us. 

 

Hope has been reborn!   Look at this:

 

Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.  ‎And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.  ‎So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. (Ex.4:29-31)

 

There would be more challenges to be sure.  Still God would overcome and fulfill His promises.  Human frailty does not short-circuit His omnipotent ability.

 

So you’re messed up.  You think God wouldn’t have you.  How many fail to come to Christ because they think they have been too bad or waited too long?  While there’s breath, there’s hope—but don’t delay another day!  God can give you a brand new start in life, and a brand new destination for eternity.  You can be reborn spiritually. 

 

A lot of Christians aren’t doing what they might because of allowing past failures to hold them back.  Let me ask you, “What’s in your hand?”  You may think it nothing, but God can transform it into something.  Surrender to the will of God.  There is hope for you to yet fulfill His purpose for your life.