Pushing Past Fear to Say Yes to God
By Jennifer Slattery
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” Exodus 3:11
God’s call terrified me, not because I feared for my life but instead my way of life. He was asking me to surrender my pride, comfort, and agenda. I knew self-exposure would follow; I was certain my past, once known, would make me the object of disdain and ridicule.
More than that, God’s assignment seemed ridiculous! He wanted me, a high school drop out, former homeless girl, to write. For Him. Seriously, couldn’t He find someone more qualified, more educated?
Yet, God’s response was clear—He chose me, not because I was eloquent or could create cohesive phrases—but because He could.
The truth is, none of us are worthy to do the work of God, but He calls us anyway. Whatever He assigns, our role is simple: to obey.
This was Moses’s call, although the stakes were much higher. Not only did God ask this ancient Hebrew to liberate His people from a powerful, tyrannical Pharaoh, Moses would have to return to his point of failure to do so. Forty years prior, he’d defended one of his countrymen—in his way and strength—and fled as a murderer in fear of his life.
Now, God was asking him to return, this time going straight to the source of the Hebrews’ oppression and the one who could have Moses imprisoned and killed.
Moses didn’t want to go. He’d built a new life in a new land. Couldn’t God send someone else? Someone more eloquent and spiritual, who didn’t stumble over his words—someone who could face opposition without resorting to murder?
“Who am I to do this?” Moses asked.
To which God replied, “I will be with you.”
In other words, “This isn’t about you, Moses. This time, the results of your efforts will be entirely different because they’ll be initiated and empowered by Me.”
Each day, through countless divinely-orchestrated opportunities, God says the same to us. Our role is simple—obey. He’ll take care of everything else.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer, editor, speaker, and the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries. She writes for Crosswalk, is the author of eight contemporary novels, and helped write Wholly Loved’s Bible study based on the life of Sarai (Gen. 12-23) titled Becoming His Princess, releasing in the spring/summer of 2019. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall outings with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Visit her online at jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com.
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Originally published Friday, 26 April 2024.
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