Finding Strength For Your Future
Let’s be real for a minute… we’ve all had those moments where we know God asked us to do something, but we don’t really want to (for a variety of reasons). I’ve had my fair share of these moments in my life.
Like the time(s) I knew I shouldn’t say something and, oops, there it goes tumbling out of my mouth! Ugh! Or the time God placed it on my heart to lay hands on a couple that hadn’t been able to conceive and I was like “No way Lord ask someone else!”. Or maybe the times I’ve said “I will never…” and God challenged my faith, asking me to do that very thing I said I wouldn’t. Maybe you can identify with these very places of resistance to the things the Lord is calling you into.
How do we move past our “No’s” and into “Yes, Lord. Send me.” For me, that strength has been found through friendships that sharpen me and challenge me to be more, do more, and not stay complacent in my own small view of myself. Left to ourselves we only see ourselves. We see our fears, doubts, hurts, anger, unforgiveness, flaws… and frankly, we sit in our pride believing we know better than God.
Proverbs 27:17 NIV As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
God uses other people to bring power to our weapons of warfare. Needing people in your world is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of humility. We can take comfort in knowing we aren’t the only ones who have experienced feeling weak, less than, or alone. God gave us a perfect example in His conversations recorded with Moses.
One day while herding the sheep, Moses walks up on a burning bush and God speaks to him from it. Imagine that! He instructs Moses to lead the Israelites out of their bondage of slavery, but what does Moses say?
Exodus 3:11 ESV Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
What?! He is questioning God who is tangibly speaking to him as plain as day from a burning bush, nonetheless! Sheesh, that makes me feel a little bit better about missing God’s cues from time to time! Yet our gracious God still encourages him. He lets Moses know that it’s ok, and that He’ll be with him as he walks into Egypt and beyond, but Moses still is not convinced.
Exodus 4:1 NKJV 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.’”
Over the literal voice of God, Moses heard the voice of fear, failure, and rejection. How often do we trust those voices over God’s voice? God again lovingly reassures him and Moses responds:
Exodus 4:10 NKJV 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.”
At this point, God gives him a DNA download, asking just who Moses thought made his tongue and speech. Yet again Mosses responds…
Exodus 4:13 NKJV But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
God doesn’t just let it go and move on to the next person on His list, although he was a little agitated. He reassures Moses by giving him exactly what he needed to bring him courage and confidence to do what God said he could.
Exodus 4:14 NKJV … “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
A friendly face that is glad to see you is exactly what we need and exactly what Moses needed! There will be moments when we doubt our calls, question what God is asking us to do, delay in our response feeling ill-equipped for the task at hand, but God surrounds us with people to be friends that will encourage our future and help us get where God is taking us.
If you are reading this and wish you had an Aaron in your world ask God to send him/her and when he does be humble enough to have authentic conversations that expose weakness and enlarge your capacity to heal, grow and do big things for the Lord.
Let this friend's voice speak this over your life today, “You can do what God is asking you to do.”
XO,
Celeste
