“But Moses pleaded with the LORD, ‘O LORD, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.’” Exodus 4:10 (NLT)

I had the skill and experience, but lacked the courage.

In my day, I was an excellent pitcher. The mound and plate were my dance floor. High and slow. The ball would drop at the back inside corner of the zone, the umpire would yell “Strike!” — and the batter’s mouth would fall open in disbelief. Those were glory days!

I had all the confidence needed to play on a no-cut team … like the church team everyone makes. However, I couldn’t muster up enough confidence to try out for my school team. Softball tryouts were the first of many things I didn’t attempt at school. Leadership teams. Cheerleading. Dramas, which I totally would have rocked, because I can do some drama, friends! Looking back, not trying is one of my biggest regrets.

The Old Testament patriarch Moses also dealt with frailty of confidence, as we see in Exodus 4:10. I love how the New Living Translation records it: “But Moses pleaded with the LORD, ‘O LORD, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.’”

Did you catch the word pleaded? I plead with God more often than I care to admit.

With honest sincerity, I present to God why I can’t possibly be the person He wants for the job. I imagine God sitting patiently on His throne in regal splendor, uttering, “Yes, I hear you.” Thankfully, God is always listening.

God knew Moses was fully equipped to free the Israelites from bondage and was prepared to pick up the slack of Moses’s lack. But what Moses remembered was the man he used to be: the man in the palace. Educated, eloquent and well-represented. The man before his major failure of murdering an Egyptian soldier.

Moses also realized he hadn’t used those skills in over 40 years, when he lived in Egypt. He no longer spoke to royalty; now he spoke to sheep. He was no longer on a “who’s who” list; he was a “not-anymore.” Moses didn’t feel his skills were developed enough to accurately and clearly communicate God’s message of freedom to His people, much less to Pharaoh.

When we submit our lack to the One who supplies all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19), they become treasures we can lay at His feet, trusting God has the power to strengthen us to accomplish all He’s planned for us.

In hindsight, my real misfortune wasn’t not trying.

The worst part was allowing Satan, the enemy, to keep his foothold in my thought life. He taunted me for years each time I entertained the notion of trying something new.

He would roll out the scripts: You aren’t good enough. You don’t have the look. If you were part of the “in group,” you would have made the ensemble. It’s better to accept that you aren’t good enough, and then you don’t ever have to risk crushed confidence and dashed hopes again.

Have you heard such things from the father of lies? (John 8:44)

You are a worthwhile possibility to God; He has a lot invested in your future: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV). God chose Moses for a good work, just as He chose you and me. Let’s confidently accept our assignments and let God work out all the details.

Lord, thank You for Your perfect love. Help me rest in it and confidently advance toward the calling You have placed on my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

2 Peter 1:3, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” (NLT)

RELATED RESOURCES

Do you ever feel like you’ve missed out? Or wonder if it's too late to walk in the calling God has given you? You haven’t missed out on your chance! Join us for our next Online Bible Study, Hidden Potential by Wendy Pope. This study will help you overcome your fears so you can faithfully walk in your calling, regardless of what season you are in. Sign up for free today! The six-week study begins on June 22, 2020.

CONNECT

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REFLECT AND RESPOND

Make a list of everything you consider a lack or frailty (finances, lack of education or training, a physical limitation). After each statement write this truth: My frailties aren’t frail to God.

Have you ever struggled with feeling like you didn’t measure up? Join us in the comments, and let’s pray for one another to walk in the truth of God’s hope and grace!

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