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Barrett Case

Rich Hill Christian Church

The Gospel According to Exodus • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago • Presented 7 years ago • 54:29

Exodus 3:11–4:17

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Moses has just encountered the Lord Yahweh, the living God, the God of his fathers. God has called Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

This is the commission the Lord gave to Moses:

Exodus 3:10 NIV

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Moses knows he’s speaking to the Lord; the Lord has introduced Himself (v. 6). What’s more, He’s speaking to Moses from within the burning bush: a bush on fire that is not consumed—a pretty incredible sight.

Moses knows who he’s speaking

As soon as the Lord speaks to Moses, Moses hides his face—out of fear and reverence; Moses recognizes that the Lord is other, separate, holy. The Lord tells Moses to take off his sandals because the place where he is standing is holy ground. I’m sure Moses did just as he was told:

“Take off my sandals? Got it.”

Now, the Lord says: So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people…out of Egypt.

Moses knows, without question, that he has been called, he knows who has called him, and he understands what he’s called to do.

—>Now, at this point, what should Moses have done? What would we have done?

Moses should have said, “Yes, Lord.” Moses should have obeyed immediately.

When asked what we would have done if we were standing barefoot before the Lord, we know what we would hope to do and what we would likely do.

I hope that I’d say, “Yes, Lord!” and then head out to pack a bag, grab my family, and hit the road with a sign on the back of my camel: ‘Egypt or Bust.’

But, as for what I would have done…well…in a number of ways, I’m pretty similar to Moses; you’re probably pretty similar to Moses, too.

What does Moses do? He interjects. “Um, excuse me, Lord...” and then offers 5 excuses, 5 pretty good excuses.

How many of us would ‘pull a Moses’ and come up with excuses to get out of this? Yeah, most of us. It’s a lot easier to keep doing what you’re doing, to keep living your life. Tending flock in Midian sounds a lot better than going up to Pharaoh and demanding that he release his entire workforce.

What does Moses do? He interjects. “Um, excuse me, Lord...”

Moses responds to God’s call/commission with excuses.

Here’s the interesting part of all of this: God doesn’t strike him down. God doesn’t flip out. Moses offers a handful of excuses—one handful exactly (5)—and the Lord remains unfazed.

Here’s the interesting part of all of this: God doesn’t strike him down. God doesn’t flip out. Moses is about to offer a handful of excuses—one handful exactly (5)—and the Lord remains unfazed.

It’s almost like every excuse Moses came up with, the Lord knew about already. He wasn’t caught off-guard. There’s no surprising Yahweh. He is, in fact, fully aware of Moses. He knows all about Moses.

Let us remember: the Lord who is calling Moses to this great task is the One who knit him together in his mother’s womb, the One who preserved his life from Pharaoh’s order to kill all the male babies, the One who kept him safe and secure in the small mom-made ark that floated him down the Nile, the One who orchestrated Pharaoh’s own daughter finding him and caring for him, the One who raised him up with the intention that he would be the deliverer of this captive people—the One calling him is the One who knows him; the One calling Moses knows all of his excuses, long before he even opens his mouth.

—>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to Exodus. Our text for this morning is found in . Keep your Bible open so you can follow along as we look at these chapters this morning.

Moses offers five excuses (, ; , , )

Exodus 3:11 NIV

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

Exodus

Exodus 3:13 NIV

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Exodus 3.13

Exodus 4:1 NIV

1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Exodus

Exodus 4:10 NIV

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Exodus

Exodus 4:13 NIV

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Exodus 4.

Let’s take these one at a time:

Excuse #1: ‘What? Me?’

Exodus 3:11 NIV

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

Excuse #1: ‘What? Me?’

This is probably the go-to excuse for most people.

“Moses’ first problem was his sense of personal inadequacy, the ‘What? Me?’ syndrome.”

If someone comes to us and says, “I’m not really up for it,”we immediately and almost instinctively reply, “Oh, of course you are! You’ll be fine.”

Notice how the Lord replies to Moses:

Exodus 3:12 NIV

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

The Lord doesn’t try to deny Moses’ inadequacy. He doesn’t sweep aside the difficulties Moses is feeling.

Moses says, “Lord, I’m not adequate.”

And the Lord says, “No, but I am!”

Moses’ position was, “Look, I’m really not up to the job. You shouldn’t have picked me.”

The Lord’s reply was, “Of course you’re not up to the job. I knew that when I chose you for it. The point is not your ability but mine!”

The Lord does not call Moses because of his adequacy. And He doesn’t call us because of ours.

The Lord’s presence is not conditional upon us becoming adequate; the Lord’s presence is promised to those who are inadequate

When we say (or think), “But I’m not adequate,” I like to think the Lord smirks a little and says, “You didn’t really need to tell me that. But fear not, I will be with you.”

To give the inadequate Moses comfort and reassurance, the Lord promises His presence throughout. He’s looks to the future and says: “When you have brought the people out of Egypt.”

What an unbelievable encouragement! When, not if.

And, AND, the Lord tells Moses that they—Moses and the Israelites—will worship on this mountain. (Show Map)

Well, this mountain—the mountain of God—Horeb/Sinai is well out of the way.

Pharaoh says,

The Lord, here, is telling Moses that they will be in the wilderness for a time after they leave Egypt. Moses must have been astonished. When Moses and the people get to Mt. Sinai (Horeb), in spite of every appearance to the contrary, Moses could be confident that all was going well and according to plan (God’s plan).

Exodus 14:2 NIV

2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.

Moses’ inadequacy meets the supremely adequate God.

Excuse #2: ‘But I Wouldn’t Know What to Say!’

;

Exodus 3:13 NIV

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Exodus 3:13 NIV

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Excuse #2: ‘But I Wouldn’t Know What to Say!’

This is a very ordinary, common problem, and one we ourselves often echo when we think of speaking out about the Lord Jesus or taking a public stand on some current issue.

It’s kind of nice to know that Moses stood here before us.

Moses imagined himself going to Egypt, announcing to the people that he had been sent by the God of your fathers’ and then being asked, “Oh yeah, what’s His name?”

The gracious Lord stoops down to answer us. He answers Moses. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was a God of many titles and one single name. God reveals His name to Moses and instructs Moses to use it.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was a God of many titles and one single name.

I AM WHO I AM

This is the divine name. This name and the Hebrew verb “to be” are linked.

Exodus 3:13 NIV

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Some refer to this as the ‘is-ness’ of God. In every place, at every point of time, in every circumstance or need, He ‘is’.

God is. He is central. He has no beginning. He causes everything to be. He is God.

When the Lord tells Moses to say, “Tell them I AM sent you”, He is saying that He is absolutely central.

Romans 11:36 NIV

36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

God is self-existent and self-sufficient. He is in need of nothing, not even us. He doesn’t need us, but we need Him.

God is majestic and mysterious. We will never have Him totally figured out.

God is not a book you read and then put on your shelf. God is not a class you take. God is eternal and unchangeable. He says, “I AM.”

“I AM WHO I AM” is the everlasting, always-has-been, ever-eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, always present God’s way of saying that He is sufficient.

Sufficient.

We like to think ourselves self-sufficient, don’t we? “I can do it.” “I can do it myself.” “I don’t need your help.”

The Lord—I AM—is all-sufficient. In Him, there is nothing lacking, there is no end, He never empties His reserves. He is I AM.

“I wouldn’t know what to say, Lord!”

“Don’t you worry about that, Moses. I AM.”

It’s no wonder that Jesus referred to Himself as “I AM.”

Jesus was trying to convince the religious leaders that He was the Savior. And so He says:

John 8:58 NIV

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Just as the Lord wanted Moses to know that He was all-sufficient, so Jesus wants us to know the same is true of Him.

Jesus—the Great I AM—is all-sufficient. There is nothing you need that you cannot find in Him. It’s been said: Jesus + nothing = everything.

And so it is.

In verses 16-22, the Lord tells Moses to go and tell the people who He is and what He has said.

Moses doesn’t have to come up with the game plan

Moses doesn’t have to come up with the game plan; he’s merely got to relay what God hath said. Moses is sent to Egypt as the bearer of God’s words.

Moses will learn what it means to be a prophet: to declare what God has said. Moses is to go to the elders and report what God had told him.

Exodus 3:16–17 NIV

16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

And then, the elders and Moses are to go to Pharoah and say:

Exodus 3:18–22 NIV

18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. 21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 3.

Pharaoh won’t listen, not for a long time. When he finally does listen, it will only be when he’s compelled by God to do so.

After the many wonders performed by God, the people will be allowed to go. But, before they go, God says, “I want you to take the women shopping!”

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

This is God setting another pattern: conquering and taking the spoils. All they have to do in this instance is ask and the Egyptians will just hand it over to them.

Everything that is going to happen is going to serve one purpose: worship.

All they have to do is ask and the Egyptians will just hand it over to them.

The peoples’ release from captivity will allow them to worship the Lord. And, eventually, the precious metals that the Egyptians give to the Israelites will be used to construct the tabernacle.

Moses is concerned about what he’s going to say. The God who has everything covered puts His arm around Moses’ shoulder and says: “This is who I am, and here’s what you are to say.”

So, what do we tell people as God’s missionaries? We tell them who God is, and we tell them what God has said. This includes what He has done in the past, what He is doing in the present, and what He will do in the future.

Moses is concerned about what he’s going to say. The God who has everything covered puts His arm around Moses’ shoulder and says: “This is who I am, and here’s what you are to say.”

Moses, like us, is to tell people who God is and tell them what God has said. This includes what He has done in the past, what He’s doing in the present, and what He will do in the future.

Moses’ insufficiency meets the All-Sufficient God.

And even though God just told Moses what will happen, Moses doubts.

Excuse #3: ‘They won’t believe me!”

Exodus 4:1 NIV

1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Excuse #3: ‘They won’t believe me!”

I think Moses probably knew himself to be the sort of person no one would believe.

At this point, Moses is more on track than he was with his previous excuses. Some 40 years before this moment, he had tried and failed to deliver Israel (murdering an Egyptian). But this doesn’t mean this is a valid excuse.

God, in His great grace, provides Moses with three signs of God’s power: power over creation, power over people, and power over elements in nature.

Exodus 4:2–9 NIV

2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” 6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow. 7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

Verse 5 is key. Why did God accommodate Moses in this way: So that they may believe that the Lord…has appeared to you.

Moses is concerned about the people believing him. He really shouldn’t worry his pretty, little head about such things.

It’s not Moses they need to believe in. It’s God. And God, through Moses, will show His power and authority over creation, over all things.

A wooden staff turns into a snake and then back into a staff.

A hand becomes leprous and then is restored.

Water from the Nile turns to blood.

Ours is a God worthy of our belief. We don’t have a staff to throw down. The whole leprous hand trick isn’t going to work for us. Water into blood just sounds messy.

What we have is the empty tomb—the incontrovertible sign that our God is alive!

I’m not so concerned about someone believing me. But when God calls, when God draws them to Himself, when God opens their eyes and illumines their heart, they will believe.

Believe me? Nah. B

Moses fears he’ll be unbelievable. God shows His unbelievably remarkable power.

Still, Moses protests:

Excuse #4: ‘I no speak good!’

Exodus 4:10 NIV

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Exodus 4.

Excuse #4: ‘I no speak good!’

How incredibly patient the Lord is. As soon as the Lord answered and reassured Moses at one point, Moses kept leveling excuses His way.

Again, what Moses can’t quite figure out, what Moses hasn’t figured out, is that, really, ultimately, it’s not about him.

Exodus 4:11–12 NIV

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus

Moses needs a theological refresher. So the Lord asks him a series of rhetorical questions—questions that need no answer, questions with the answer implied within.

It’s the Lord who gave Moses his mouth, his ability to speak (whether he speaks eloquently or don’t talk no good), it’s the Lord who gives and takes away. Period.

The Lord promises His help to the helpless Moses—help speaking and being told what to say.

The inarticulate Moses meets the God who created the speech and the speaker.

Excuse 5: ‘I don’t want to!’

Exodus 4:13 NIV

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Excuse 5: ‘I don’t want to!’

In the television series, “Friends”, Ross invites Chandler and Joey to help him assemble some new furniture.

Joey asks Pheobe, “Hey, Pheebs, do you want to help?”

Pheobe replies: “Oh, I wish I could, but I don’t want to.”

Moses run out of the elaborate, well-thought-out excuses and goes straight for the, “No, thanks, man. Please ask someone else.”

It’s not exactly an excuse, but it is a plea to avoid the call and commission of the Lord: “Here I am, Lord, send someone else.”

Exodus 4:14–17 NIV

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

The Lord’s anger burned against Moses and Moses’ refusal to obey, but is gracious here as well.

The Lord provides for Moses, sending Aaron to him. God tells Moses that Aaron will be his spokesman—they were co-speakers, really.

The petulant Moses meets the provision of God.

—>Moses is pretty quick on his feet, really. He’s locked-and-loaded with 5 excuses at the ready. He really didn’t want to do this. Moses makes it clear that he’s not the man for the job. The Lord is mistaken, probably.

Exodus 3:11–12 NIV

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Exodus

If the Lord was interviewing for the position of Deliverer/Lead Exit-er, Moses doesn’t have “it”—you know, “it”, the indescribable quality that employers are seeking. Moses most definitely does not have “it”.

Exodus 3:13–22 NIV

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. 21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 4:1–9 NIV

1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” 6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow. 7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

Exodus 4:10–12 NIV

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 4

Exodus 4:13–17 NIV

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” 14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

Truth is: there’s nothing in Moses at all. He’s just barely scratching the surface of his deficiencies and inabilities. These 5 piddly excuses are just the tip of the iceberg.

Look at who God uses!

Moses isn’t expressing a false humility. He’s being brutally honest with God and himself (though maybe not honest enough). Moses is a nobody. There’s no reason anyone should listen to him. He doesn’t speak well. He doesn’t really want to have any part of this whole gig.

The Lord is greater than our excuses, our failures, our shortcomings. The Lord is greater than our sins, our deficiencies, our inadequacies.

He’s in the habit of using clay pots like Moses and me, like Israel and you.

J. A. Motyer: “The mercy of God understands our weakness and meets us in our frailties; the sovereign magnificence of God fulfills His own purposes without adjustment or alteration—from beginning to end.”

This section shows that God is enough. Moses was insufficient but God is self-sufficient. God responded to each of Moses’ excuses and questions with statements about His own sovereignty and power. This section is so deeply encouraging. If you feel as though God is sending you to do something beyond yourself, the key is to take your eyes off of your failures and weaknesses.

God provides where we lack. He is faithful.

God shows Himself to be satisfying and supreme, sovereign and saving.

God provides where we lack. He is faithful.

We are Inadequate. Insufficient. Incompetent (to name a few). I could go on, but what we are or are not is not the point.

Look at who God uses!

Several years ago, Louie Giglio wrote a great little book entitled, “I am not, but I know I AM.”

At the end of the day, let’s just admit we are nothing. “I am not.”

But I know the One who calls and commissions and saves and uses weak nothings like Moses, like me.

I have nothing to offer. I bring nothing to the table. I have nothing. I am nothing.

But my God is all. He is everything. He provides. He covers all my insecurities, inefficiencies, inabilities. He can use me however He sees fit.

I am not, but I know I AM.

My lovely wife watches a few kiddos throughout the week. After lunch comes nap-time; this is just how it is in Meghann’s house. Sometimes Meghann will read a book to whichever kid is laying down for a nap. Sometimes she’ll rub and/or scratch their back.

The Lord is greater than our excuses, our failures, our shortcomings. The Lord is greater than our sins, our deficiencies,

And, often times, Meghann sings. I love to listen to her sing, especially as she sings and teaches the great truths of the Gospel to those precious kids:

Jesus loves me, this I know,

Inadequate. Insufficient.

For the Bible tells me so.

I am not, but I know I AM.

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me;

the Bible tells me so.

In many ways, that song has it exactly right. We are inadequate and insufficient; we may not be believable, nor are we necessarily articulate. We come empty-handed, really. We are weak.

We are weak , but He is strong.

There’s no need for us to offer excuses. Like Moses, the Sovereign Lord already knows all our inadequacies and deficiencies, better than we do.

What I need to know is that the great I AM > i.

He is all-sufficient. He is able. He has covered our sinfulness and shame. He has conquered the grave.