Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Exodus 3:10

I’ve been reading the story of Moses freeing the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 2-14). I forgot how much information we are given about everything that happened. There were so many amazing signs God performed to show His power.

I also forgot how much Moses dragged his feet.

My memory was of the movie “The Prince of Egypt.” A great kids’ movie with fantastic music, depicting the story of Moses. It is Hollywoodized though. Moses is shown as a reluctant but capable leader who takes on his task without too much complaint.

This isn’t how he is described in the bible. He doesn’t want to go to Pharaoh. You can almost hear him whining about the reasons why he can’t go.

God Said “Come, I Will Send You” and Moses Said “But Why”

God lays it all out for him, everything he should say and even tells him what will happen. Moses still isn’t convinced.

Naturally God loses patience with him and for good reason. He practically hands Moses a road map, answers all his questions and promises to help him along the way. And yet Moses is insistent that he can’t do it.

Of course, from a human perspective, this is understandable. God is asking Moses to march up to the king of an empire and demand he let his free labour go. This is a big request and Moses knows this.

Not only that, but Moses also has to convince the Hebrew people he isn’t some crazy guy trying to stir up trouble. He has to convince them this is God’s plan.

It’s not an easy job that’s for sure.

But Moses missed the most important part. God was going with Moses. He was the one performing the signs, He was the one hardening Pharaoh’s heart and He was the one who would set the Hebrews free. Moses was God’s hands, feet and voice (although his brother Aaron ends up doing the talking).

We don’t know why it was Moses God chose to save as a baby. We don’t know why Moses was brought up in Pharaoh’s house. We don’t know why he was chosen to free God’s people, but it was part of God’s plan. And like all God’s plans, it was good. It wasn’t easy, but anything worth doing isn’t easy.

Following Instructions From God, Even When We Don’t Want To

Trusting God is the difficult part. So often we are like Moses. We have a million and one reasons why we can’t do something. We aren’t strong enough, we aren’t eloquent of speech, we have anxiety, no one will believe us…the list of excuses goes on.

When God says “come, I will send you,” how often do we follow? How often do we acknowledge His power and say “yes Lord, send me!”

I know I don’t.

I’m also like Moses. I ask questions, “Where are we going? How long will it take? How many snacks should I pack?” I’m hesitant and unsure. I want a detailed itinerary with a packed suitcase and confirmation of hotels before I go anywhere.

The world is a scary place and there are many unkind people. Following God’s instructions can seem overwhelming.

But God doesn’t send us on pointless journeys. We aren’t moving grains of sand from one pile to another just to amuse God. He may not lay out his plan in a fancy PowerPoint or appear as a burning bush to give us explicit directions, but He will guide us. We just have to be willing to follow.

And for those days when you are terrified, when you know fear is normal but you can’t let it overtake you… read this.

It may not be a task we are excited to take on, it may not be fun, it may not even be an adventure! Sometimes it’s mundane things that seem meaningless at the time. But God has plans and if he needs us to be apart of those plans we should be ready to jump in with both feet.

God may be calling you to do something. Big or small, it doesn’t matter, he will be with you! Pray for guidance and trust that he will not leave you to stumble. Don’t come up with a thousand reasons why you can’t do something and think of all the reasons you can!

Continue on for part 2 in this story about Moses in my blog post Sing to the Lord!

And if you have a child dealing with fear, grab this book “I’m Not a Scaredy Cat: A Prayer for When You Wish You Were Brave” by Max Lucado.

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