Self-doubt. Inadequacy. Not-enoughness. Sound familiar?
Whether you’re 17 or 70, this appears to be a universal area of the human condition that never seems to disappear completely.
Even one of Israel’s greatest leaders, Moses, suffered from it.
When God told Moses to inform the Israelites that He’d deliver them from their cruel Egyptian slave masters, have a look at how he responded:
“They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re planning to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’” (Exodus 4:1 MSG)
“O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I do not have been, and I’m not now…. I have tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” (Exodus 4:10 NLT)
Moses thought himself a clumsy speaker, and doubted that the Israelites—much less their enemy king Pharaoh—would listen to him. Even his older brother Aaron had to be his spokesperson for some time.
As well as on one occasion, when negotiations with Pharaoh didn’t go very well, Moses got frustrated and blamed God: “Why have you brought all of this trouble all on your own people, Lord? Why do you send me? From the time I came to Pharaoh as the spokesman, he has got been even more brutal to your people. And you have done absolutely nothing to rescue them!” (Exodus 5:22 NLT) (Do his complaints sound familiar to your very own?)
Yet still.
But still. That didn’t stop the Lord from using Moses mightily in eventually delivering the Israelites. If you read his story in Exodus, you’ll observe how he continued to boldly tell Pharaoh multiple times, “Let my people go!”, and negotiated with the king through the entire ten plagues that the father sent upon Egypt.
Impressive for somebody who called himself a stutterer and stammerer, eh. And eventually, upon the Lord’s direction, Moses picked up his staff, raised his hand on the Red Sea, and God parted it to allow the Israelites to pass through on dry land, and escape Pharaoh’s pursuing chariots. You have to have a look at this mind-blowing story in Exodus 14.
Despite the fact that Pharaoh’s armies still chased them to the sea, the father told Moses to improve his hand over the sea again if the Israelites had reached one other side safely.
The seawaters then rushed back together and drowned Pharaoh’s entire army. (Exodus 14:26) All this work, when Moses was 80 years of age. Does this story of a flawed man who was simply still mightily utilized by God encourage you? Even just before Moses split the Red Sea upon God’s directive, he was still reported to be crying off to God because the Israelites, seeing that Pharaoh’s armies were in hot pursuit, asked him, “Because there have been no graves in Egypt, perhaps you have taken us away to die when you look at the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11, 15) From the first day the father called him till he breathed his last, Moses was always aware ( as well as perhaps sheepish or embarrassed) about his weaknesses as a leader. But this was a person of whom the Lord said when he died at 120, that no prophet has arisen in Israel like him, whom the Lord knew in person. (Deuteronomy 34:10 NASB)
Perhaps development in our Christian walk is really about that: Growing more aware of y our inadequacy, but additionally knowing that those feelings of inadequacy cannot stand in the way of God using us to complete great things for Him.
While the Lord told Paul, another great leader within the Bible—My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected, completed, and shows itself most effectively in your weakness.” (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP)
Knowing you will be weak doesn’t have to make one feel discouraged with yourself, but it can encourage you to definitely uncover the Lord’s strength and just how much it is possible to depend on Him to be adequate where you simply cannot.
You have got a God who loves both you and really wants to allow for you.
Will you allow Him to be much more than enough for the not-enoughs today?
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