Exodus 4:1-17 “Roadblocks to Righteousness”

“But Moses again pleaded, ‘Lord, please! Send anyone else.’”
Exodus 4:13 (NLT)

One of the saddest things to me is to see people miss their calling. We are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). He has created each of us for a purpose. He knows the number of our days and prepares great works for us for His glory. He gives us spiritual gifts and a calling that are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). How tragic when people turn away from these for the Cracker Jack trinkets and Happy Meal toys of this world.

Moses almost missed his place in history. In fact, if he had his way, he would have ended his life on some desolate mountain in the wilderness of Sinai with no companions but his sheep. But God had so much more for him than that!

Moses wasn’t always this way. There was a time when he saw himself as the deliverer of the Hebrews, but that ship had sailed long ago. Now Moses was content to be a nobody. In fact, he didn’t feel adequate for anything else. But God had other plans. The LORD had waited eighty years for Moses to get to this point. He wasn’t about to change His mind or choose someone else. God had something so much more exciting for Moses than herding sheep. There were miracles he would witness that no one had ever witnessed. He would speak with God face-to-face, as a man speaks with his friend. All generations would revere him. But none of this could happen apart from Moses being willing.

In more than forty years of ministry, I have seen many casualties. People who started out strong in the Lord took detours that took them far from God and His calling. Some find their way back; many do not. Some feel inadequate; others remain bitter. But all miss out on God’s best.

Wherever you are today, please know that if you are still breathing, God is not done with you. You may feel like a failure, but failure is perhaps God’s greatest means to bring us to the center of His will. If you feel inadequate, then you are at the place where God can use you. His power if perfected through your weakness. But you must say, “Here I am, Lord.” And then you must willingly submit to the Lord’s yoke that is easy and His load that is light (Matthew 11:28-30). That begins the greatest adventure of your life!