When God Calls, How Will We Answer?

Let us pray…Gracious, Holy, and Loving God, we are so grateful today for all that you have given to us. We ask now that you would help us to open our hearts, our minds, and our spirits to hear your still speaking voice above all others that might be ringing in our ears this day. We pray this in your Son’s holy name, Amen.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been reminded how God works in wild and mysterious ways in our lives. It has been a few weeks since I have stood in this spot before you and it feels good to be back here. I know there are a few folks who wish I had taken some more time off but this, standing here, is also a part of my therapy. For me, this is important to our lives as Christians in the 21st Century. It is important for us to be wrestling with the Bible and spending time reflecting upon the words that were written for us. And so, I stand here today fully expecting that for some the words of my mouth this day will hold a great amount of meaning and for others, maybe not so much. But that is also the mysterious way of God in our lives.

The Mystery of God’s Voice

God has always spoken to God’s people. Sometimes God came in the form of angels in dreams, sometimes God spoke to the hearts of men and women, sometimes God appeared as a pillar of fire by night, sometimes God appeared in the form of a fiery bush. The point is that God appeared, God spoke, and God expected the one spoken to, to respond to whatever it is that God asked. Today is no different. For some of us, we hear God’s voice in the trees, or the woods, or the voices of those around us. God is still speaking, the question is whether or not God’s people are actually listening...

In the case of Moses, last week, we heard the story about Moses hearing God’s voice in the form of an angel from a fiery bush that did not burn up. As we continue that story today, we need to bear in mind that Moses is speaking directly with God and while many of us may not have an encounter like this where we hear directly from God ourselves, we need to keep our hearts and minds open for what it is that God calls us to do and be in this world.

Objections

One of the things that has always fascinated me is the number of ways that we as humans make excuses for why we cannot do something in our lives. What we have in Moses’ story today are his reasons for not being able to lead God’s people.

In thinking back over my life, I have had many reasons for not being able to do something. As I have considered many of my own excuses, one thing comes very clearly to mind…all of those excuses stem from a place of fear. And when we allow fear to fill our hearts and our spirits, we will forever be stuck exactly where we are. That is the reality of what fear causes us to do.

For Moses, though, he has what he thinks are legitimate reasons as to why he cannot lead the Israelites out of Egypt as God has called him to do. So, let’s look at them as they are presented to us today...

Objection 1: What if...

Moses’s first objection is one that we like to use in our society a lot…“what if”…and I know a lot of people who can what if things to death. The whole time we what if something, however, we are allowing fear of success prevail in our lives. Ultimately, when we what if something to death, we are essentially saying that we are not confident in our abilities.

Moses’ objection and what if relates to whether or not the people would believe that he spoke to God or heard from God. I get why he felt that way. I understand how he could think that way as well. Part of Moses’ story relates directly to this very thing…he was raised Egyptian and had to prove himself as an Israelite. The Egyptians were holding the Israelite’s captive. So, why would the people of Israel believe that Moses was going to lead them out of slavery? It makes perfect sense as to why this would be one of his objections.

Objection 2: Not Good with Words

So, God overcame the first objection by giving Moses 3 different miracles that he could perform to prove that he had actually heard the words of God. Moses must have been impressed by the miracles himself because he did not object to the miracles but instead turns to his ability to speak. He tells God, basically, listen to me, I cannot speak well, I am not good with words, I get tongue-tied when I stand in front of others, I cannot stand before your people and proclaim that I carry God’s words. It just is not going to happen, trust me God, I am not your man.

Now, I know for many of us the fear of public speaking is an even greater fear than almost anything else in our lives. This is the kind of objection that Moses raises in this part of the story. He essentially is saying, I cannot do it because I am overcome with fear. Which leads to the final objection...

Objection 3: I Am Not Capable...

Like I said a few moments ago, Moses says his final fear. He actually has not gotten to the heart of why he feels unworthy of God’s calling on his life. And Moses argues with God and says, send someone else, I am not your guy.

Now, how many times do you think you have had a similar argument with God. I know several of my friends and especially my colleagues have argued with God for years about whether they should go into ministry or not. I know a lot of people who just outright refuse to hear God’s call at all.

God’s Response...

Here’s what I have learned though, no matter what our excuse or reason for not being willing to follow God’s call, God will find a way to overcome that objection (i.e. excuse).

In Moses’ case, God overcame his first objection with 3, not just 1, but 3 miracles that Moses could use to prove that God had actually spoken to him. The second objection was met with God using logic. God told Moses that God was the creator of all things, including Moses’ mouth and if God wanted Moses to say something, God would help him to speak it. The last excuse, God actually became angry with Moses but instead of arguing, God said, “Ok, look if you don’t want to speak, I will send your brother to be by your side and he will speak for you.”

What this means to me is that no matter our objection or reason for not wanting to do what God has placed upon our hearts to do, God will find a way to make it happen. In my time in ministry, this has proven to be true, over and over again. The point is that we should not argue but rather listen because no matter how much we do not want to do something, God will always find a way to make it happen.

Our First Opportunity to Listen

Next week, we will be joined in worship by the Executive Director of Family Promise of the Lehigh Valley, Ms. Roslyn Kuba. Family Promise of the Lehigh Valley exists to help families meet their immediate, basic needs of shelter, food, and hope, and to assist them to build patterns that will bring long-term stability. Some of the programs they offer are:

Safe overnight and day shelter

Private sleeping space for each family

Three meals per day

Assistance in securing permanent housing

Assistance in gaining employment

Now, these are not all of the programs that they offer, but what I want you to know is that as we move through this Mission series this fall, you will be introduced to the Moses’ of our world today…those who may have given excuses as to why they could not help and now have realized that they can make a difference in the world. As we continue through this adventure with Moses, I want us all to consider how we might be able to get involved because it is only in doing, not making excuses, that we can make a difference in the world of today…Amen.