When God Insists
I’ll start with a confession. My name is Larry and I’m a feedoholic…RSS feeds that is. Each day I have an hour set aside that is supposed to be devotional, but the first two things I open on my computer are Outlook and Firefox. God is gracious anyway, and that fits loosely into my topic this morning. Recently I discovered that Bible Gateway now provides several reading plans with RSS feeds. That’s perfect! I chose the chronological plan and put it at the top of my feed list.
This morning I read about the calling of Moses in Exodus Chapter 4. I’m not going to retell the story, so it might be helpful to read it now. Moses seems to have been one of the least willing people that God has called, despite his evident passion for the plight of his people, illustrated by his killing of the Egyptian. God keeps answering Moses’ objections until he finally asks outright to send someone else. God intends for Moses to do this, even though Moses doesn’t want to. God gives him everything he needs, including another person to be his spokesman. What intrigues me about this story is that God wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I suppose Moses could have utterly refused, but I’m not sure he would have lived to tell about it. As it was he made God angry, yet God did not rescind his calling.
I believe we have the freedom to choose. Otherwise, the Bible’s admonitions to choose life and righteousness mean nothing. However, there seem to be times when God has chosen certain people for certain tasks and will not be refused. Other people who come to mind are Jonah and Paul. I am encouraged by Moses’ story. I have come to be uncertain of my own calling, and I definitely have my own set of reasons why it can’t possibly be what I think I’ve been told. I would like to think that I would not be so full of fear and doubt if God’s miraculous power were displayed before my eyes and on my very person, but God knows my heart and might well disagree. The encouragement I take from this story is that whatever my own failures or objections may be, if He wills it, He will make it happen. I do hope that I can avoid provoking His anger. He is worthy of all my love, trust, and obedience.