God Calls and Equips

God Calls and Equips

Written by Katelyn Foster

I recently discovered that my youngest son is TERRIFIED of being upside down. What started as a simple moment of playfulness resulted in screams and sheer panic. He clung to my arms as if his life depended on it. It didn’t matter that he was being held by loving arms, or that my hands were strong enough to handle his weight. Fear gripped him and fooled him into thinking that he had to rely on his own ability and strength.

This reminds me of the account of Moses at the burning bush. Moses was raised in a pagan land. He had no personal history with the One True God, and had no deep godly heritage to lean on. So when a divine voice came booming from a burning bush, he was terrified.

When God told him that his responsibility was to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites, he balked. “I can’t speak!” The son of a pagan ruler didn’t know that the God who called Him had the power to also equip him. When God responded with “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say”, Moses didn’t know God could be trusted.

As a result, fear gripped him, and he knew that his own abilities weren’t enough for the job. He also didn’t know that God could do it. So he took a seat on the bench, and the responsibility was given to another. God’s mission still came to fruition; He wouldn’t be hindered by Moses’s lack of faith. But I wonder what Moses missed out on because He was too afraid to try.

It’s easy to blame Moses’s weakness, but a speech impediment wasn’t his real problem- it was merely his excuse. What was really holding him back from obedience?

Unbelief. He didn’t know God’s power.

A lack of trust. He didn’t know God’s ability.

Overwhelming fear. He didn’t know the battle wasn’t his to fight.

How about you- is God calling you, but something is holding you back? I encourage you to do the thing that is weighing on your heart. If God is calling you to obey, He will equip you to act.

If God is calling you to obey, He will equip you to act.

I’ve spun my son around in my arms quite a few times since that first fearful moment. You know what I’ve seen? With each subsequent time his grip loosens, his tears lessen, and he even laughs! His confidence grows with experience.

I see that in Moses, too. After witnessing God’s power in the plagues, and the fulfillment of His promises in the liberation, Moses arrived at the Red Sea. With the enemy approaching from behind, God commanded him to raise his staff. He didn’t stutter, didn’t hesitate. He confidently told the multitude not to fear, and boldly raised His staff. Moses chose to speak, trust, and act- and look what God did!

“Faithful is He who calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

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