God Doesn't Beat Around the Bush, He Burns It (Part 2)

Okay, so I’ll be honest, I’ve struggled with writing this post. I’ve thought about it off and on for the past two weeks and I just couldn’t seem to decide how to start it. I also wasn’t sure what to talk about, and what not to talk about. Like where do I even begin? I mean I could write a dissertation about the book of Exodus and God calling Moses to deliver the Israelites. But I sometimes forget that I’m not getting my PhD, I’m just writing another blog post. So I just sat down and started typing and this is what I came up with! Hope you guys enjoy it!

“God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.”

This is one of my favorite quotes and it really sums up the point I want to get across in this post. I’m going to pick up exactly where I left off in part 1, so if you haven’t read part 1, I suggest you go back and read it first. Let’s just start off with some scripture.

 

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

-Exodus 3:11

All of us are called by God to do something. We all have a purpose to serve while we’re here on Earth. Some people’s calling may seem more extreme than others. Some may seem more basic than others. But there’s no doubt that your purpose in life is extremely important, and it’s crucial to the kingdom of God.

A lot of times when God reveals his purpose for us, we tend to question Him. Just like Moses in verse 11, we often ask “God, who am I to complete this important purpose? Can’t you just find someone better equipped to do it?”

This is the beauty of it all. Nobody is equipped. There is not a person on this Earth that is absolutely, completely, 100% equipped for what God is going to call them to do. But it doesn’t matter, Because God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called. Do you think I feel equipped to be a teacher? To educate and influence children in a way that only a few people can. HECK NO, I don’t feel equipped. But what I do know is that God will equip me through my education, and through His power to help me fulfill my purpose.

 

So if God has already revealed your calling to you, chances are, you probably had a mini freak out like Moses when you realized what it was. If God hasn’t revealed that to you yet, wait for it, you’re almost guaranteed to flip out just a little. The cool thing about it is, God doesn’t expect you to fulfill your purpose all on your own.

 

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

-Exodus 3:12

When Moses started to freak out and question God, God made sure to point out to him “I will be with you. . .” How cool is that? That the God of the entire universe, the God that created the ocean, and the moon, and the sun, He is with you. Like, all the time. He never leaves. It really blows my mind!

 

 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

-Exodus 3:13-14

In this passage of scripture Moses does what most of us tend to do when God speaks to us. He tries to make excuses and almost tries to outsmart God. Moses is basically like “Well say I go to the Israelites and tell them that you’ve sent me, and then they ask who you are. What do I do then God?” and then God replies with something that I kind of see as His way of saying “Did I stutter?”

God replies “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Vs. 14)

BOOM!

Like does anybody else kinda feel like God just got a little sassy with Moses? I love it!

Then God goes into this long spill about Him being the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, etc. (P.S. these verses are important, but this post is becoming longer than I intended, so if you want to check it out for yourself it’s Exodus 3: 15-22.)

So basically God is just shutting Moses and his lame excuses up.

But what does Moses do? He does what any normal human does and makes another excuse.

 

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

-Exodus 4:1-9

Okay, hang with me, I know that was a lot, but it’s pretty important to the story.

So Moses makes another excuse “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (Vs. 1)

Here we see Moses making the typical, “But God, what will people think of me when I do/say that?” excuse.

NEWSFLASH!

God doesn’t call us to be comfortable!  He calls up to be bold! So what if nobody believes you! You’re still doing what God has asked of you!

So this time God decides to perform some miracles to knock some sense into Moses. God performs not one miracle, not two miracles, but THREE miracles to help convince Moses to go to the Israelites.

But again, Moses just isn’t having it. So Moses decides to make one more excuse to try to get himself out of it.

 

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.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

-Exodus 4:10-12

Like Moses is just standing by a talking, burning bush (nothing out of the ordinary, right?) And he’s making all of these excuses for why he’s not equipped for this job, THINKING he’s fooling God.

But again, God replies and He’s like “Really Moses? Like please look at who you’re talking to!”

 

The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? – Exodus 4:11

I just really love that! God’s like “Moses! Seriously? Are you forgetting who gave you your mouth?”

Then God promises in verse 12 that He will help Moses speak.

 

Now pause for a moment…and think about all of the times you’ve been like Moses. Think about how many times you felt God calling you to do something and you just kept making excuses. I’ve done it. Numerous times! How dare we? How dare we stand there and tell God that we cannot use our mouths (the mouth HE gave us) to tell someone about the good news. Like what makes us so entitled that we can tell the God of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE that we cannot do what He’s asked of us. Shame on us.

The thing about it though is, we’re human. And God knows when we’re going to make excuses. That’s why He’s prepared to help us. Just like God was preparing to help Moses speak, He’s preparing to help you.

Okay last passage of scripture, STAY WITH ME!

 

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” 14 Then the Lord’s anger burned 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 meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

-Exodus 4: 13-17

At this point in the story, I’m about ready to tell Moses he needs to get his life together. Like quit making excuses, you’re just wasting time. But then I have to remind myself how many times I’ve been like Moses. Fighting God, making excuses, telling Him I don’t want to do something.

Finally, God makes a final deal with Moses. God’s like “Look what about your brother Aaron? Isn’t he pretty good with words? Tell you what, I’ll let Aaron do the talking, but you’re still going to have to listen to me so you can tell him what to say, cool?”

Moses is cool with that plan and he heads back to Midian to tell His father-in-law that he has to go back to Egypt (Exodus 4: 18).

 

So finally, three excuses later, Moses agrees to do what God has asked of Him. (And if you know the rest of the story, you know Moses definitely ends up fulfilling his purpose).

Conclusion: So now you’re probably thinking “What in the world does Hannah want me to get out of this?”

I want you to know that:

1.      God has a specific purpose for your life.

2.      It’s normal to want to make excuses.

3.      Just because it’s normal, doesn’t mean you should.

4.      Trust that God will equip you with whatever you need to fulfill your purpose.

When God presents you with a mission, it can sometimes be hard to not make excuses. But God will not let you do it alone. He’ll be with you every step of the way. It might not always make it easier, but in the end, it will be worth it.

 

For those of you who are still with me, THANK YOU so much for reading. I hope you found some inspiration somewhere in this post. It ended up being a lot longer than I expected, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I hope you all will now be on the look out for your own “burning bush” and my prayer is that you will listen to whatever God has to say to you! Again, thanks for reading!

Until next time!

Remember, Jesus loves YOU!

Hannah ♥