Sometimes I wonder at God’s selection process. I wonder even more at our responses.
Do you find Moses’ continued objections to God’s call surprising? We might think that Moses would have responded differently given the wonder of the burning bush, the encounter with the God of his ancestors, and the miracles God had given him to perform. But Moses was still reluctant.
Coincidentally, I have been paying attention to both of the national party conventions over the last couple of weeks and am fascinated by the VP selection process. Imagine being a fly on the wall when Senator John McCain called Governor Sarah Palin or Senator Barack Obama called Senator Joe Biden. What would you have done if one of them had called you? Would you have argued and tried to talk Obama or McCain out of his choice? Would you have shuffled your feet and played humble? Would you have asked him to pick another if he told you America needed you on his ticket?
What is our problem when God calls and asks us to reach beyond ourselves and serve him by serving others?
Moses finally angers God with his excuses. He informs God that he is not a good choice and then finally just says, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” This wasn’t a false humility. This wasn’t a valid objection.
This was a stiff reluctance that is found in many servants. Indeed, the biography of many of the best servants in history includes a heavy dose of reluctance.
But a reluctance is not the same as a rejection of the call. Moses walked the tightrope between reluctance and disobedience with God and God’s anger finally burned hot. All of Moses’ objections and excuses were stripped away and he stood naked before God.
In spite of this, God’s patience and kindness can be seen in the way he answered Moses. He provides Moses with a co-leader who helped him speak to the people. God reminds Moses of the miraculous power he gave him. God responds firmly and kindly.
Reaching beyond ourselves isn’t always the easy way to live. While it is human to find an easier way to live, there isn’t actually an easy way to fulfill life. We all need to have honest moments with God and communicate to him our reluctance, but we need to find ways to do this without crossing the line into disobedience. We cannot truly live the fulfilled life God designed us to live while rejecting his call.
