“Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to me. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
Exodus 4:10
There are countless excuses for us to get out of doing what is right. In the text above we find Moses’ seventh excuse to not go to Egypt as God is leading him to do. His final excuse is simply, “Send someone else to do it.” But God does not give up on him. Moses finally gives in to God’s guidance and goes back to his people and liberates them from slavery.
Ironically in this story from Exodus, Moses is eloquent of speech enough to have a lengthy debate with the creator of the universe. Most of the excuses we use to get out of doing things don’t hold water. What was really happening in Moses’ life for him to be reluctant in following God? He had made a comfortable life for himself in the land of Midian. He had fled his troubled past in Egypt as a teenager and had made a new name for himself. He had gotten married and had several children. He had earned some wealth and status when God showed up in a burning bush calling him to a less comfortable life. This call threatened the good life he had acquired. This call scared Moses. God called Moses to return to Egypt and lead some people out of slavery and into freedom. It was either the size of the job or the departure from the familiar that scared him.
Notice the words God uses when calling Moses to this big, uncomfortable job. “I have seen the misery in Egypt. I have heard the people crying out…and I am concerned about their suffering. I am sending you…” (Exodus 3:7; 10) This word that comes to Moses implies a co-mission: God and Moses! God so often evokes change in creation through creation. This relational God we encounter is bold enough to trust us, seemingly insignificant creatures, with world-changing opportunity. We look around and wonder why so many bad things are happening yet what world-changing opportunities are we unwilling to take on by saying, “O Lord, send someone else.”
When looked at from this perspective our number of excuses reaches astronomical proportions! But here is the truly amazing thing. God listens to your excuses, as astronomical as the list may be, and responds with, “I am sending you.” There is no one more qualified for the job God is calling you to do. What excuses are you using to get out of following God’s will for your life today? Join God in mission and see the world change.