Day 7 with Moses: If the Lord is with us, He is enough.

“Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3:10-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I didn’t learn to drive a car until I was in my early 30s. You see, my mother was very protective and was fearful for me to drive; and when it came time that I could learn on my own, then being a married woman, I was now afraid. So, I had put off the driving adventure until it got to the point that I really, really needed to be able to drive myself and my children.

Now, I had driven our car around in a pasture that was part of my father’s property. I wasn’t afraid to do that. It was being on the road with other cars that really presented the problem.

I remember that I decided to try out a driving school. I looked for one that had cars with dual controls; I wanted to prepare for every contingency. I remember my instructor’s name was Mr. Hoose, and somehow or another, Mr. Hoose thought that it was good to bolster a learning driver’s confidence by taking them out on the expressway. He got me out on a part of the expressway that was basically open road; but that didn’t make any difference. I found myself hurtling onto an expressway, having no idea of what I was doing, and being so bound up with fear that I did a couple of ridiculous things. In the midst of this scenario, Mr. Hoose decided there was something he needed in the back seat, so he turns around, backside forward, and began to dig for whatever it was he needed. What good are dual controls when I’m staring at my instructor’s kaki clad backside? Terror could best describe my situation at that point.

So, what’s all this information about learning to drive? Even though I knew that this man was trained to do what he was doing. Even though I knew that he had the power to override what I was doing with his controls. Because of his casual approach, I felt utterly and completely exposed and afraid. I didn’t trust my ability and I didn’t trust his ability.

The rest of that story is that I did indeed learn to drive, but it really wasn’t because of a dual-control vehicle. It was because of my husband. You see, one Sunday morning as we were heading out for church, he went ahead of me to the car and got in the passenger seat. He then informed me, “You’re driving us to church.” I can remember how afraid I was; but he seemed so confident (whether he really was, or not), that my fear was assuaged. I remember that drive so well as I drove down the road singing, “The King of Who I Am.”

It’s not wrong to want to know how you’re going to do something you’ve never done. It’s not wrong to plan or be prepared. But in terms of what God calls us to do, we must understand that it’s not about our ability; it’s about who He is and the fact that he has something much better than dual controls. He Who keeps all creation ticking along can certainly make up for our weakness. Our part is to submit to His control and to rest our confidence in Who He is rather than trying to muster up confidence in our own ability.

The Psalmist David well describes the feeling of assurance we should experience in knowing that God is with us:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Indeed, Paul, in expressing all the things he experienced and had to endure, was able to confidently make this proclamation:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NKJV

Jesus explained in a very simple way concerning our complete dependency upon Him:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today we find Moses presenting the Lord with a question, basically boiling down to, “Why me?” And, as we see, the Lord answered the question with saying that He would be with Moses. His presence with Moses would be enough. However, we know that Moses went on to riddle the Lord with a series of questions concerning how he was going to do what God wanted him to do. And, because God is patient with our weaknesses, He provided for every contingency Moses presented. But, the point is, it wasn’t about Moses‘ ability. The call from God was the authority for him to do what he would do, with his obedience and submission to the plan of God bringing everything else he would need along the way.

When God calls us to do something, there’s nothing we could tell him about ourselves that He doesn’t already know. What is needed is for us to know that it’s not about what we can or can’t do, or who we are. It’s about Who God is. Now, if He’s with you in the vehicle, you need never fear.

For today let us discover what Moses discovered:

If the Lord is with us, He is enough.

#40dayswithmoses