When God Calls

God was concerned. Last verse of Exo 2 says “So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”

• He approached Moses and said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” (Exo 3:7)

• He wants Moses to enter Egypt and tells the elders of Israel: “I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt…” (Exo 3:16-17)

God is concerned. God knows the sufferings of His people. This is the truth about us. God knows what we are going through and He sees them all.

• There may be times we felt all alone in our suffering. But the truth is, God is watching over you. Don’t go by what you feel, go by what you know from the Scriptures.

• Not only is He concerned about the plight of His people, He has a plan – a plan to bring them out of their misery.

God’s answer is in the person Moses. God plans to use this man to deliver His people from slavery.

• Moses is God’s answer to the problem, but apparently Moses isn’t prepared for this. He is God’s man for the hour, but Moses do not see it that way.

• We don’t expect God to use us, usually. We pray, “Lord, save them!” and we expect God to send someone else to do that. That someone is usually not us.

Do you know that you can be the answer God has in mind for someone in need?

• You may just be the person God use to comfort someone in pain? You may just be the one God calls to encourage the person who is discouraged?

• The answer may not be somewhere else. It can just be right here in this room.

• We are God’s answer to the problems we see around.

I remember this incident when Pastor Tony Campolo was preaching at a conference, and at one point in the program the people were challenged to raise funds for their mission project. Pastor Campolo was asked to pray for God’s blessing upon the project of raising funds and meeting their goal. The sum needed was not big.

Pastor Campolo walked to the podium, and instead of praying, he looked down to the relatively well-off church and said: “You already have the necessary resources to complete this project right here in this room. It would be inappropriate to ask God’s blessing when God has already blessed you. The necessary gifts are in your hands. Let’s take the offering and underwrite this project, and then we will give thanks to God for freeing us to be generous and good stewards.”

When the offering was taken, the goal was over-reached. The pastor led them in giving thanks instead.

Moses is God’s answer to the need of the hour. But he wasn’t prepared to be the one. So he came up with reasons to show that this wasn’t a good idea.

Exo 3:11 "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

Excuse 1 - WHO AM I? A question of IDENTITY

We know what he means, “I am nobody. I am just a shepherd. How can I be doing this?”

• We can understand where he is coming from, because he was once the Prince of Egypt. But that was 40 years ago.

• Then, according to Stephen in Acts 7:22, Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

• He has the status, the influence, and the prestige. He was at his prime.

But now, he is just a shepherd tending to his father-in-law’s flock.

• For the last 40 years, he probably speaks more to sheep than to people, not to mention speaking to a big name like Pharaoh.

• And he did not end up here by choice. He killed a man in Egypt and is a runaway fugitive.

Who am I? This question reveals the wrong placement of his trust - I.

• Moses had his eyes on himself. He is thinking that to accomplish this feat, he would need a name, a position, a status, or a standing, before he can convince the Pharaoh.

• But he was wrong. The Lord’s answer is: “I will be with you.” (3:12)

PLACE YOUR CONFIDENCE IN GOD, not yourself.

• Moses had nothing, in and of himself, to pull this off. Without God, he is nothing. But with God, he is everything that God wants him to be.

• He can challenge Pharaoh not because he is great, but because the God with him is great.