Happy Leap Day! Have you taken a “leap of faith” lately? Maybe you are still standing back at a safe distance trying to decide if you will jump or not. Do you have that thing that you feel God is nudging you to do, but you are afraid to try? Maybe you are afraid it won’t work out, that you will fail, or that you will have wasted time. Maybe you are afraid of rejection, concerned about what others will think, or maybe you just feel inadequate for the task.
We read in Exodus how Moses went through this same challenge. God came to him and spoke to him directly (through a burning bush) telling him to go talk to Pharoh about letting God’s people go free. Moses actually heard God’s audible voice telling him what to do! You would think he would immediately obey after that, but he didn’t. Instead, he argued with God.
Moses started by saying, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘the Lord did not appear to you’?”. He was concerned that they might not believe that God had told him to do this task. Can you relate to that?
God then reminded Moses that he was in complete control as he turned Moses’ staff into a snake and back into a staff again. Then he covered Moses’ hand with leprosy and healed it again. God told Moses that if they don’t believe the first sign, show them the second. If they still don’t believe the second sign, he had another one up his sleeve, so to speak. He told Moses to take some water from the Nile river and put it on the ground and it would turn into blood.
With those reminders that God can do anything, did Moses choose to obey?
No, he argued some more. He told God that he was not the guy for the job. Moses argued that he was not a good speaker, had never been eloquent and was slow in speech. Of course, God already knew his limitations. That was the point.
God reminded Moses that it was He who gave humans the ability to talk. He said, “Who gave humans their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
Surely now Moses would choose to obey, after all, he’s talking directly with the Lord. There is no question who was giving him these orders.
But once again, Moses let his fear take over as he told God to get someone else for the job. He said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
At this point in the story, we are told that the Lord’s anger burned against Moses. However, what I also see here is his amazing grace. The Lord said he would send Moses’ brother Aaron with him since he could speak well. God said, “I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.”
If you are not familiar with the story, Moses ends up going. You can read about it in Exodus starting in chapter 1. Moses’ birth is in chapter 2, and his encounter with the Lord and the burning bush is chapter 3.
God has incredible patience with us and extends us his grace even when we are slow to respond and obey. But oh, how we can be blessed and bless others when we choose to step out in faith and obey his calling. What is the Lord telling you to do? Whatever it is, our enemy the devil will try to keep you from doing it. The devil’s priority is to distract you, deceive you, delay you, discourage you and destroy you. Even if he knows he already lost your soul to Jesus, he wants to keep you from being effective for God’s kingdom here on earth. Don’t let him win! Take a leap of faith and trust that if God calls you to do something, he will prepare you and equip you to do it. He knows your limitations, and He wants to use you in spite of those limitations. God is all powerful and nothing is impossible with him, so he wants you to rely on his power, not your own.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)