Did God stutter?

By the time God spoke from the burning bush, Moses had already spent 40 years doubting his worth and competency as a leader. Moses had all the qualifications having been raised in Pharaoh’s household and educated at the highest levels. By all accounts he was charismatic and passionate, but moving ahead of God he was also a fugitive.

So when God gave a quick overview of what the next 40 years would look like for Moses as leader of the chosen people he asks, “Who am I?”

1. Who am I?

The truth is that our competency is never the issue. God chooses to use weak and broken people in order for people to be impressed with God’s power and grace. Nobody gets saved if they are impressed with me or you!
Isaiah, a teenage priest-in-training seemed to understand this when called to be a prophet. In Isaiah 6:1-8 young Isaiah had a vision and saw the Lord. From His heavenly throne God seeks for someone to go to His people with a message. Isaiah responds, “Here am I, send me!” Never mind that he was a mere lad with no leadership ability or public speaking experience, God called and Isaiah answered and subsequently became to the most powerful writing prophet of the Old Testament.
When Moses first heard the voice from the burning bush he responded similarly, “Here I am.” But notice he did not ask to be used, rather he questioned why God would even consider using Him.
Moses focused on his weaknesses instead of God’s strengths.

In South Korea High School hallways are plastered with advertisements from area plastic surgeons hawking their services. By graduation most girls have had procedures such as a nose job, or a breast augmentation, or skin bleaching. But South Korean school administrators are not alone in blame. Across the world cultures are instilling in our girls and boys a contempt for the way they look and who they are. In our very own high school bullying (which attacks a child’s self-worth) is all but ignored. Self-loathing teens grow into self-loathing adults.

That is exactly where Moses was in Exodus 3. But God did use Moses, and, over time transformed him into one of the heroes of our faith. You can be effective, even amazing in whatever God calls you to. Are you putting off a task or a ministry you feel God is nudging you toward? Do you have a desire to serve God in a certain way, but feel inadequate to the task? Perhaps you don’t think God is leading you to do anything. If so, then you should spend more time listening to God. Read His word daily followed by a few minutes in silence with the attitude, “Here am I, send me”.

Moses’ insecurity ran deep and He would rather argue with our omnipotent Creator than yield. So He asks another question of God.

2. What if they ask me about You? Ex 3:13

Moses had a stellar secular education a lifetime ago, but he had exiled himself to the desert for 4 decades. Whatever he thought he knew about God was gone. In his mind he was no prophet, or leader, or rabbi. He was a fraud, and if the people start asking questions about this so-called God from the burning bush he wouldn’t know what to say. What Moses didn’t understand is that is exactly where God wanted him. Moses was a blank tablet ready to have the will of God chiseled on his heart. So God revealed Himself to Moses for all to hear, “I AM WHO I AM”. Not a lot, and certainly mysterious, but enough to proceed. So many people think they lack the knowledge to speak up for Go.
One of the great testimonies from Scripture is found in John 9:25. The pharisees, seeking to find fault in Jesus, interrogated the blind man Jesus had just healed. The man’s response was priceless, “I don’t know whether he is good or bad, all I know is that once I was blind but now I see.” Every Christian has a testimony of God’s leading to the cross and salvation by grace. Your story cannot be refuted! God can use you with so many, but especially with those going through what you have already experienced.

This last week rolling thunder and so many others honored the memory of seaman George Price. A local young man who lost his life at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 while serving on the battleship Oklahoma. The procession through hundreds of flags was moving as was the funeral service. Near the end of the service a niece of George’s stood at the podium and preached the gospel. She was not an educated woman, nor did she have much public speaking experience. She repeated herself several times, and her grammar was not perfect, but her testimony was powerful and from the heart. It was precisely what God wanted for that moment, for that audience. Praise God!

Moses is determined to convince God that a mistake has been made. So he asks about acceptance.

3. What if I can’t convince them? Ex 4:1

What if they don’t like me? What if no one listens? What if I step out for God and nothing happens? What if they don’t like me?

Moses lived with all the same insecurities we all harbor. The ultimate confidence-killer is caring too deeply about what other people think. Later in life Moses would find his worth and validation in his close relationship with God.
The people we spend the most time with are the people we want to please! Solution? Spend more time with God. I say it all the time, but will keep on; we need to have a daily time communing with God. We cannot let public opinion erode our resolve to love and serve God. Ezekiel 33:1-7 talks about the responsibilities of the watchman. God says if a night watchman on the wall of a secured city sees an attack coming, sends out the warning, but the people do nothing? He is free of guilt for the watchman did his duty. However, if the watchman sees an attack coming and does not send out the alarm and the city falls? Those deaths are on his head.
We are God’s watchmen standing in the gap between grace and judgment. It is our God-given duty to warn everyone we can of God’s wrath, but more importantly, God’s love.

In Delavan I would get an impression from the Holy Spirit concerning a situation but would be afraid to tell people that. I would get, “Well God didn’t tell me that” or “What makes you so special?” But through trial and error I learned that neither I or any of us should be ashamed of the Holy Spirit’s promptings. If you listen God will speak. When God speaks the message will always be in harmony with Scripture and endorsed by the godly men and women in your life you seek out to double check such things.

But wait Moses is not done with his excuses.

4. What if I stutter? Ex 4:10

Moses finally gets to the main thing, He doesn’t feel up to the task. Again, his focus is on himself. In Matt 10:19-20 Jesus tells us not to worry when we need to speak up, He will give us the words to say. Jesus uses the context of persecution and a trial. That would be one of the most stressful scenarios. If God can give us a testimony during persecution He can do it anytime!

“God doesn’t need your strength, He has plenty of His own. He asks for your weaknesses.” Charles Spurgeon
Or like Isaiah, our availability!

Anything worth doing is worth doing wrong. The sin of omission is not doing what you should. Let God use you. If you make a mistake, no worries God will redirect and keep using your efforts.

Moses ran out of excuses so he finally just opts out.

5. Lord, please just forget about me. Ex 4:13

Sorry, not possible Isa 49:15-16