moses – Missy Armstrong

Moses is one of my absolute favorite Bible characters. He was a man who made many mistakes, had his shortcomings and flaws out on display for everyone to see, felt weak when he needed to be strong, and didn’t feel up to the task when God called him.

I can so relate. I’ve messed up more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve allowed fear to cripple me, hold me back, and cause more sleepless nights than a newborn baby.

And weakness…oh, my goodness.

I’m always praying, asking God to send someone to act or speak for me. Because if I’m flat out honest with you, I just don’t feel like I have what it takes to lead anyone most days. And I thank God I don’t have to do it alone. God is there with me and I have the love and support of my family and Church family.

Moses may have stuttered his words, but I mess mine up more times than I care to share.

Moses wore the label “Speech Impediment,” and I’ve worn the label “Just weird,” which has made both of us want to push someone else in front of us. If only we could hide so others wouldn’t see us up close.

And yet in spite of our weaknesses and brokenness, God chose to use us anyway… and He chooses you too, sweet friend.

In today’s verses, we see Moses at the end of his life. He has learned to walk with God through life’s ups and downs, and he knows this truth first hand: GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU.

When Moses was weak, God made him strong.

When Moses was cowardly, God made him courageous.

It’s amazing to see what Moses was like when God first called him compared to Moses at the end of his life… after he walked closely with God for 40 years.

Because of Moses’s personal relationship with God, he was able to encourage the people of Israel – and most importantly Joshua – challenging them to be strong and courageous. How? By spending time with God, by trusting Him and taking God at His Word… by believing that God would do what He said. Moses learned how to be strong and courageous from trusting God and seeing Him work time and time again in His life.

It was Moses who saw God part the Red Sea and allow the nation of Israel to walk across on dry land.

It was Moses who saw God judge the people of Egypt for their disobedience and captivity of the Israelites.

Because of God’s faithfulness in Moses’s life, Moses was then able to speak into the lives of the next generation and say, “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid! Your God goes before you just like He did for me!”

And that’s what we need these days.

We need women in the older generations to give hope to those in the younger generations, saying “Be strong and courageous!”

We need to hear from women who have walked with God and have testimonies of His faithfulness from their personal lives – women who not only know this truth that Moses shares in Deuteronomy 31 but women who have also experienced it!

We need to hear from women who have weathered life’s storms and can testify that what Moses says is true – Jesus will never leave them for one moment to battle their storms alone.

And so I ask you today: will you be a “Moses” for the next generations? Will you be brave and courageous by sharing from your personal life about God’s faithfulness? Will you share with the “Joshuas” of today about how God has been faithful to you and how His words are true?

Oh, how we need to hear more stories of God’s faithfulness! We need to hear testimonies of how God’s Word is true not only in Bible times but in our day too. We need to be reminded of His faithfulness in the past and His faithfulness in the present.

Moses commands us to be strong and courageous in whatever battle we are facing. Whatever land God is sending us to, we are not to be afraid. Our God is with us. Let’s be strong and courageous together!

Today, please share stories of how you have learned through your walk with God how to be strong and courageous! Share with us how God has been with you in your storms of life and how you have learned to be brave. We need to hear your voice and the testimony God has given you!

Have you ever wondered, what might change in our life if we completely surrendered to the fact that God sees us and He hears us? What sin might we walk away from? What fearlessness might we have? What if we truly believed that God keeps his promises? How might we mine the Word of God for His promises? How might we cling to them when things are dry or stormy or dark?”

Have you ever prayed a dangerous prayer of willingness, offering up to God that if He could use someone like you – whatever it is that He’s calling you to – you’d do it?

“Here I am, Lord. Use me.”

You want to be used. You’ve prayed to be used. You may have even walked an aisle at one point, following a clear move of the Spirit, to boldly say “yes” to doing great things for God.

If you’re like me, you may have even had the perfect ministry scenario match-up already scripted out in your mind. Surely He’d use my most obvious desires and passions, in my most ideal location, to impact the people I like to deal with, and it would all come together in the most efficient, angelic sort of way down to the very last detail, right? Heh.

Boy, does God have a sense of humor.

Facing Goliath definitely wasn’t David’s most desired passion, entering the lion’s den wasn’t Daniel’s most ideal location, reaching the people of Nineveh wasn’t Jonah’s preferred people, and forty years in the desert most certainly wasn’t the Israelites’ most efficient route.

And eloquent speaking before a really intimidating, powerful national leader for sure wasn’t on Moses’ top ten list. Return to Egypt and free the Israelites from slavery? Surely God was confused. In fact, Moses wasn’t asking to be used, and he definitely wasn’t feeling equipped for the task.

Out of the burning bush he had heard the Lord call His name. “Here I am,” Moses had answered, not yet knowing Who was calling or what was at stake. But after hearing God’s version of his next assignment, Moses opposed God at every angle as his brokenness surfaced and his fear and weakness overwhelmed him…

Who am I, Lord?

In Moses’ first forty years he had been somebody – a rescued, protected, provided for, favored, influential prince of Egypt. But one life-altering decision, in Exodus 2, had sent him running for his life and into obscurity for the next forty. Moses went from residing in the palace to herding sheep in the desert – an official, unqualified “nobody” in the eyes of the Egyptians. Surely there’s been a mistake, God. You’re going to use this lowly outcast to do great things for You? I don’t think so.

But God answered: I will be with you. I’ll do the work. My strong hand will guide you. I will provide for you. It will come to pass and you’ll know without a doubt that I AM was the One who sent you.

No one will listen to somebody like me.

Fear of man began to overwhelm Moses. He knew the Egyptians were tough, and his comfort zone for the last forty years had to do a whole lot with convincing sheep to follow him instead of people. If his age, occupation, and foreigner-status weren’t enough, then returning to the scene of his crime surely was convincing enough. I’ve lost all respect from these people, God. I’m not your guy.

But God answered: My power will be with you, Moses. I’ll equip you with signs and miracles – not just one, not two… but three of them, just to be sure that they’ll listen. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

I don’t have the right gifts.

As Moses began to break down just exactly what God was asking him to do, his greatest weakness began to stare him in the face and paralyze him with fear. Moses didn’t have the gift of speaking. In fact, God wanted to bring Moses’ greatest weakness to the forefront in what already seemed like an impossible task! With so many cards already stacked against him, Moses knew that he didn’t stand a chance once he opened his mouth. Lord, I can’t speak – never could, never will. I’m so weak. Please… I’m not cut out for this.

But God answered: I made you. I know you. I love you. I will speak for you. “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Someone else is more qualified.

An exhausted Moses objected and pleaded once more, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” After all of that? Let’s not forget that the God of heaven is miraculously appearing before Moses in a burning bush. He has already promised signs and wonders, and has patiently reminded Moses over and over that He is Creator, Sustainer, and Lord above all. But in his brokenness, Moses plays the comparison game in one last ditch effort to get out of this thing. Some people are made for things like this, God. Clearly, You’ve made a mistake.

Now before we begin to criticize Moses, don’t you see? This is us.

Like Moses, we get hung up on the mistakes of our past, the limitations of our present, and the impossibilities of our future. We name ourselves broken instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus who came to redeem our sin – past, present, and future – once and for all. We name ourselves inadequate instead of looking to our strong Father who is willing and able to apply His sufficient strength to our present weakness. We name our situation impossible instead walking in the Spirit who lives and longs to do the impossible through broken vessels just like us.

We were never meant to be good enough. We were meant to come to the end of ourselves so that we can be rescued and then rest in the great I AM.

Child of God, He names you chosen.

And He doesn’t make mistakes. God had been faithful to Moses in the past, and He wasn’t about to leave him now…

And He’ll do the same for you.

How are you letting fear and weakness prevent you from doing what God is asking you to do? What’s one way you can rest in God’s faithfulness today as you say “yes” to Him?