God’s Calling

When we read of people in the Bible provoking God to anger we ought to take note – especially when the people making God mad are his own children. The last thing we should want is to follow in the erring footsteps of our elder brothers and sisters. One such cautionary incident took place on the day God called Moses to lead Israel’s exodus from Egypt. If you’ll remember, Moses didn’t handle the commissioning very well. His reluctance to do God’s will was irritating, to put it mildly.

Moses attempted to resist God’s call by “reminding” God of all the resources he did not possess. “I don’t have the reputation!” “I don’t have the credibility!” “I can’t speak eloquently enough.” The Bible tells us that “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses” (Exodus 4:14) because of all of his excuses. God preferred that Moses take his inventory with a different perspective. It wasn’t about what Moses didn’t have; it was about God’s ability to use what Moses did have. “What’s that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2) and “Who has made man’s mouth?” (Exodus 4:11) were the questions that mattered.

Sometimes God’s will for us may seem daunting, but remember that when we step up to do what God asks even a measly shepherd’s stick becomes “the staff of God” (Exodus 4:20). So don’t irritate God this week, stop trying to remind him of what you don’t have, and trust him to take what you do have to fulfill his calling on your life.