Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. Exodus 4:12
Jen was born without legs and abandoned at the hospital. Yet she says being put up for adoption was a blessing. “I am here because of the people who poured into me.” Her adoptive family helped her to see she was “born like this for a reason.” They raised her to “never say ‘can’t’ ” and encouraged her in all her pursuits—including becoming an accomplished acrobat and aerialist! She meets challenges with an attitude of “How can I tackle this?” and motivates others to do the same.
The Bible tells the stories of many people God used who seemed incapable or unsuited for their calling—but God used them anyway. Moses is a classic example. When God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he balked (Exodus 3:11; 4:1) and protested, “I am slow of speech and tongue.” God replied, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? . . . Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (4:10–12). When Moses still protested, God provided Aaron to speak for him and assured him He would help them (vv. 13–15).
Like Jen and like Moses, all of us are here for a reason—and God graciously helps us along the way. He supplies people to help us and provides what we need to live for Him.
Read: Exodus 3:7-10; 4:10-15 (NIV)
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seena the miseryb of my people in Egypt.
I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers,
and I am concernedc about their suffering.d
8 So I have come downe to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians
and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,f
a land flowing with milk and honeyg—the home of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivitesh and Jebusites.i
9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me,
and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressingj them.
10 So now, go. I am sendingk you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”l
Exodus 4:10-15 (NIV)
10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent,
neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”z
11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?a
Who gives them sight or makes them blind?b Is it not I, the Lord?
12 Now go;c I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”d
13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”e
14 Then the Lord’s anger burnedf against Moses and he said,
“What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well.
He is already on his way to meetg you, and he will be glad to see you.
15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;h
I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
INSIGHT
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When have you felt incapable or ill-equipped for a task or role you felt God calling you to fill?
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How did God help you?
Moses offered several objections to being the one chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt: he was unworthy (Exodus 3:11), had inadequate knowledge of God (v. 13), lacked any special powers (4:1), and had a speech impediment (v. 10). In each case, God responded by pointing Moses to a deeper understanding of God rather than focusing on himself. For it’s ultimately God’s presence and power that qualifies people (3:12), not their personal strengths and weaknesses.
PRAYER
God, I’m so glad you didn’t leave me here on this earth to do it all on my own. Thank You for Your love and guidance and the people You’ve placed in my life. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Exodus 3:7-10; 4:10-15 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Numbers 1-3; Mark 3
