Confidence can be tricky. In a world where the “fake it til you make it” mentality is widely accepted and often encouraged, true confidence can seem impossible to achieve. But the Bible is always our standard and God reveals that confidence is found in surrender. Moses’ Bible story on confidence will encourage you and teach that true confidence is cultivated when we trust in God.
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Moses Doubted
Moses doubted himself. God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt but he wasn’t convinced he was the one for the job.
“So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them, therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Who am I? How many times have you had a prompting from the Holy Spirit and you responded with, “But who am I?” Moses had already made up his mind about who he was: what his ability and identity was. He counted himself out based on his understanding of himself. At that moment, I don’t think Moses had a true revelation of who God is. He doubted the people would believe him because he was thinking about his ability and not God’s.
“Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. “Throw it on the ground,” he said. So Moses threw it on the ground, it became a snake, and he ran from it. The Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. “This will take place,” he continued, “so that they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
And God didn’t stop there.
“In addition the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, resembling snow. “Put your hand back inside your cloak,” he said. So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin. “If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
God demonstrated these amazing signs to comfort Moses so that he knew he could put his confidence in God. But Moses still doubts.
“But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent — either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant — because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”
“The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
God essentially says, “Do you know who I am? This is nothing for me!” However, Moses allowed fear and his own insecurity to get in the way of receiving the truth of who God is and what He can do.
“Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. He will speak to the people for you. He will serve as a mouth for you, and you will serve as God to him. And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”
God is so gracious. Even when we lack belief, He doesn’t disqualify us. Instead, He sends helpers along the way. He continues to encourage and sanctify us.
God Can Do Anything
In the book of Acts, Stephen regards Moses as being “powerful in his speech and actions” because he was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians. Biblical scholars debate whether Moses actually did have a speech impediment, resigned to humility, or if he feared the assignment. Whatever it was, it was clear that he lacked the CONFIDENCE to do so. Moses’ insecurity was so strong that he essentially told the God of the universe that He had gotten it wrong. He can’t possibly be the person who is right for this assignment. Can you imagine telling God, the very one who created you, that you don’t have what it takes to do what He has called you to do?
But we do it all of the time. We are Moses. We say, “I’m to this or I’m not enough of that.” But God says He is the I Am that I Am. He can do anything. Did you know that phrase can also be translated as come to pass? It means to be finished, to be done. God is saying, “Not only am I the God who makes things come to pass but I AM that which does come to pass. I AM THE FINSIHED WORK.” Not you or me, but Him.
And on the cross, Jesus says, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) What a mighty God we serve. We serve the I AM. Whatever it is we think we are lacking, God stands in the gap to fill it up. Ultimately, whatever God calls us to is about His perfect will not our ability. Therefore, our confidence resides in Him.
With Love,
Tamara
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References:
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
