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Exodus 3-4 – Praying through the Bible #23 – A Prayer of the Unqualified
When God calls, the Almighty doesn’t ask for resumes of our qualifications listing our skills, success rate, experience or education. God does not want our confidence in ourselves; God wants our confidence in Him. God doesn’t want our talents; God will give His gifts. God does not call the qualified; God qualifies the called.
It’s been 40 years since Moses fled Egypt after failing to be Israel’s deliverer (Acts 7.23-29). It’s been forty plus years since Moses had been educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7.22). The last forty years have not been in palaces and in positions of leadership, but in fields leading sheep. Basically, Moses has spent the last 40 years becoming unqualified, losing any useful talents and credentials. Ironically, it takes a while before we can become unqualified enough for God to use us.
Forty years is plenty of time to get comfortable and to forget. Then one day when Moses is busy living his life as a leader of animals, he sees a burning bush (Ex 3.2-3). God calls, Moses says “Here I am” (3.4). The rest of this prayer-conservation is Moses trying to make God doubt He picked the right man. Are our thoughts and prayers like that?
Moses goes from “Here I am” to “Who am I” (3.11), God counters “I will be with you” (3.12). That should be enough, shouldn’t it? I am too much like Moses. Then God gives a sign, not to Israel or Pharaoh, but for Moses: “This will be the sign TO YOU that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain” (3.12). The sign is guaranteed success! And yet this sign is extremely frightening to people like me and you, His reluctant servants. We want proof before we begin, not after we succeed. Immediately, now, before we begin, we want personal empowerment to succeed. God’s sign is not good enough for Moses. Moses asks God who he should say sent him (3.13). God answers in one of the most revered, powerful and yet puzzling verses in holy writ: “I AM WHO I AM” (3.14). I wonder if there is a connection between God answering, “I AM WHO I AM,” and Moses questioning, “Who am I?” Who we are doesn’t matter because of who God is.
The “Battle of Reluctance” continues, and Moses begs “Please, Lord, I am (just fill in the blank with our own excuses) (4.10). God answers, but still Moses pleads, “Please, Lord, send someone else” (4.13). God gets angry and placates Moses by qualifying him to speak through Aaron. Moses relents and despite himself becomes one of the greatest leaders in all of history because God qualifies the called.
Prayer Challenge: This story should frighten and encourage us. The word reluctant means “hesitantly unwilling” but comes from a word meaning, “to struggle or rebel against.” Search our life through meditation and prayer to see if we have not obeyed because we did not think ourselves good enough. Pray that God being Almighty will be more powerful than our excuses. Repent, obey, believe in the God who qualifies.
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