I recently went to Bojangles to try their new chicken wings and learned that the employee who was talking with me was in training. I let him know that was completely understandable and to take his time. We have all been in this worker’s position at some point in our lives.
This conversation made me recall all the times I had started a new job or had to take on brand-new responsibilities. You want to obtain these skills to better yourself, but the fear of the unknown can be nerve-wracking and cause you to doubt your abilities. The voice in the back of your mind starts to question saying, “Do I have the skills for this?” “Did I bite off more than I can handle?”
We see the same thing when, at the burning bush, God asked Moses to serve. Moses said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11). “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10). He was so troubled over the matter that he pleaded with God to send someone other than him (Exodus 4:13).
These three statements were made by a man who left Egypt at the age of forty after killing a man. He then spent forty years living as a shepherd. Moses was obviously afraid and doubted that he could accomplish the new task he was called to do. How often do we find ourselves saying similar things like:
- I’m not comfortable having Bible studies with strangers. Someone else can do it better.
- I’m so busy, I don’t have the time with everything going on in my life.
- I am too nervous to speak in front of crowds.
- I have a hard time remembering what to say.
- Etc.
Like us, Moses had a voice in his mind telling him that he was unable to do what the Lord asked. In his eyes, this was a monumental task to handle by himself. However, he was never alone. God was with him, just waiting for the right time to call his servant Moses to shepherd a much larger flock.
Now for the reader, I want you to know that when you pray to God, he will be with you. Once you put Christ on in baptism and become a child of God, he will be with you ALWAYS no matter the circumstances. When we study his word and see what is expected of us, let us use OUR abilities to forward the gospel.
“Here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
By Jeff Snyder