Exodus 4

Equipped by God

Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” ~ Genesis 4:11-12

 In Exodus 4, Moses struggled with insecurity when God called him to speak to Pharaoh. He worried about his ability and questioned whether he was the right person for the job. God’s response was clear. He reminded Moses that He is the Creator, the One who equips and empowers His people to do what He asks of them. God did not choose Moses because he was perfect, He chose him because His power would be revealed through Moses’ obedience.

Insecurity was a big part of my life for many years. Most times I felt completely inadequate for what God was asking me to do. One example was when I was asked to take a position as the hub director for the womens small groups at my church.  The position required me to speak in front of a group of people, which was way out of my comfort zone. As fear tried to take hold of me, I told God all the reasons why I was not the right person. But as I began to take steps of faith in those moments, I discovered that God was not asking me to rely on myself, He was asking me to trust Him. Each time I stepped forward, He gave me words I did not know I had and strength I did not feel on my own.  It wasn’t very long until I gained confidence in His presence with me.  I knew that each time I got up to speak, it may not be perfect, but being a mouthpiece for my Father in that position gave Him a vessel to move through to speak into the lives of others.

This chapter speaks to anyone who feels unqualified or uncertain. Perhaps you are facing a new opportunity, a big decision, or a calling that feels beyond your skill or experience. God is reminding you today that He is the One who equips you. He will give you what you need in the exact moment you need it. Your weakness is not a disqualification, it is the place where His strength will shine through.

Her are some ways you can apply this truth in your life:

• Acknowledge your fears honestly before God in prayer.
• Write down the areas where you feel weak and ask God to show His strength there.
• Take one small step of obedience in the area you feel God is calling you.
• Surround yourself with people who will encourage and pray for you.
• Memorize scriptures that remind you of God’s strength and His promises.

Today I want to encourage you to trust that God has already given you everything you need to do what He has called you to do. You do not need to have all the answers, you only need to take the next step in obedience. God’s power is greater than your weakness, and His presence will go with you wherever you are called. Step forward with confidence, knowing that He will teach you, strengthen you, and speak through you as you trust Him.

Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 4

1 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

4 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

5 “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. 

7 “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.

8 The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. 

9 And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.”

10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 

12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”

14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 

15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 

16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 

17 And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.”

“Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

19 Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.”

20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.

21 And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go. 

22 Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. 

23 I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’”

24 On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. 

25 But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 

26 (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.

27 Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God, and he embraced him. 

28 Moses then told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the Lord had commanded him to perform.

29 Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called all the elders of Israel together. 

30 Aaron told them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched. 

31 Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Journal:

• What task or calling feels too big for me right now?
• How have I seen God show His strength in my weakness before?
• What is one small step I can take today to move forward in obedience to God’s call?