|
April 13, 2010 Read: Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey . . . So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:1-4:17 Think About: The Old Testament is filled with stories about the heroes of our faith and their responses to God's call, but I think the most intriguing of all is Moses and his response to God. It may also be the most important. For Christians, the central events of our faith are the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Although Jesus did many important things and revealed God to us in a new light, his purpose in coming, from the beginning, was to offer himself as a sacrifice, thus paying the price for our failure to live up to God's standards. Similarly, the Exodus from Egypt is the central event of Judaism, the faith in which Christianity is rooted. As Jesus freed us from the slavery of sin, Moses freed the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land, and he was the conduit through which God gave the Israelites the Law, which Jesus came to fulfill. But on the day God introduced himself to Moses in the burning bush, was Moses being the person God made him to be? Hardly. I don't think anyone gave God more excuses for why he couldn't do what God was asking him to do. Moses was a perfectionist, and unless he believed he could perform the task God called him to do, he didn't want to do it. He did everything he could to talk God out of making him this great leader. He said the Israelites wouldn't believe him. He said there was no way Pharaoh was going to accept him. He said he wasn't a very good public speaker. He really pushed God to the limits of his patience. But God wouldn't let Moses off the hook - because, in fact, God had made Moses for the purpose of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. God wanted someone who was a perfectionist, who was intensely loyal to his people, and who, once committed, would not give up until the task was completed. And God gave Moses what he needed beyond himself. When Moses said, "Who am I that I should . . . bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God said, "I will be with you." God says the same thing to us today. When we wonder how we can become the persons God made us to be, God says, "I will be with you, in the person of the Holy Spirit." Even when we come up with all kinds of excuses about why we can't do what God calls us to do, God says, "I will be with you." Pray this Prayer: Wow, God, how many times have I been like Moses, coming up with excuses as to why I can't do what you call me to do? Thank you for your patience, Lord. Show me again the me I want to be. Amen. You are invited and encouraged to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with the spiritual practices at the Easter Devotional Blog. We are on this journey together and your words may help another along the way. Having problems viewing this page? Click here to view it online. Click here to be removed from the Daily Devotions © 2010 St. Luke's United Methodist Church at Windermere |
