Which You do you See?

In Exodus 3, God appears to Moses in a burning bush to reveal His plan to liberate the Israelites. Much has been made of Moses’ initial reluctance to embrace this divine assignment…

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

We should be careful before we judge too harshly.

Moses considered himself unqualified, because he was looking through an earthly lens. From the world’s perspective, on his best days, Moses was a rural shepherd, a happily-married family man who had a good run as a youth. On his dark days, Moses may have seen himself as a stuttering, foreign fugitive with a felonious past and few contacts or future opportunities outside of his aging father-in-law.

God saw Moses differently. He didn’t look at Moses’ bank account, zip code, contacts, past performance, or skillset. God saw Moses as His guy for the job. Most importantly, God promised that He would be with him (v12).

God would make up for Moses’ shortcomings. He would take care of the obstacles. He would accomplish His will. Moses’ part was to walk the path, leading the Israelites to one day “worship God on this mountain.” (v12)

It’s not that the world’s metrics weren’t true. Moses was a rural shepherd, a family man, a foreigner, a fugitive, etc. Yet, those weren’t the highest truths about him. Ultimately, Moses believed God, and one of history’s greatest adventures began.

How do you see yourself? Are you going to let your W-2, 401K, the number of Facebook friends you have, your waistline, or weight define you? Is your job title, spiritual resumé, good interpersonal, mechanical, technological, financial, educational, or culinary skills a better measure? Seems a bit silly in comparison to what the Bible says about us.

Sinners. Orphans. Separated from our Father, but through Jesus’ work on the Cross, we are beloved. Bought with a price. Chosen. Co-heirs. Redeemed. Washed clean. Citizens of heaven. Recipient of every spiritual gift. Friend. Forgiven. Filled. Child of the King. I could go on, and maybe I should…

Moses debated with God even after God said that He would be with him. Old ways of thinking die hard. We’re all guilty, at times, of listening far too much to what the world says about us and far too little to God.

The good news is no one has to get stuck there. We don’t have to see ourselves through our shortcomings, insecurities, and stay on the sidelines. Moses didn’t. Like him, we can believe what God says about us. We can embrace what He can do in and through us, and take the next step in our adventure with Jesus.

Which You do you see?