Why Not You?

BY REV. CORY KEMP |

Have you ever heard that still small voice of God within you directing you to do something? Did you listen? Did you follow its guidance and take action?

Or maybe you ignored it and hoped it would go away and leave you alone.  

Frankly, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t ignored God’s voice at least once in your life. God is notorious for asking us to do things that seem pretty simple on the surface, but require far more of us that we are able to imagine, let alone be willing to give.  

God likes to encourage us to sign on, take the challenge and get to it, knowing what a shakeup it will cause in our lives. This is God’s specialty, moving things around, taking us along for the ride, creating transformation and new life.

Even knowing the good that comes from trusting God’s voice in us, it’s so very human to resist change, to balk at being asked to do something we’re not sure about.  

So often we want to know two things before embarking on these kinds of adventures: What are you really asking me to do? How are you going to make this happen?

At the core, we really are asking God not for a personnel choice explanation, but, more simply, “Why me?”  

What does God see in you, in me, in any one of us that says we are right for the work at hand that needs to be done?

Recalling the story of Moses’ familiar conversation with God about his own concerns, having been asked by God to go to Pharoah, ask him to free the Israelites from their bondage as Egyptian slaves, and bring them out of Egypt, God appears as quite audacious and bold in asking Moses for help in this matter.  

Granted, Moses had connections that were valuable assets in accepting this job: Pharoah’s daughter had rescued him when he was a baby and raised him.  That either slipped his mind during this conversation with God, or it didn’t seem significant to him.  Or he didn’t want it to be significant for God to use as a good reason for Moses to help him.  

Who knows?

“Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” –Exodus 3:11

And here is the big question of human beings for God when we really don’t want to do something that is scary, overwhelming or too huge to comprehend – Why are you asking me?  

I don’t know how to do this.  

I don’t what to do this.  

I am not good enough to do this.  

This is too much.  

Please, don’t ask me.  

Please, ask somebody else.

To Moses’ credit, he is succinct, much more so than I’m guessing most of us would be. What could pass for humility in some circles, however, is a terrified man wanting to back his way out of a corner before it is too late. He doesn’t have to say yes, but he knows he should say yes because it is God asking him to do something truly important.

What is most interesting is how God answers Moses’ question.  

“God said, “I will be with you.” Exodus 3:12

In one simple sentence, God answers every question Moses has asked and is ready to continue asking. All the questioning and lack of trust, the lack of faith in himself and his own ability to do God’s will for himself and his people, is gently steadied and set down, now devoid of its power to diminish and defeat Moses before he gives himself a chance to try.

God was with Moses and God is with us. Herein lies tremendous power that can never be diminished or defeated in any of us. This is why God can and does ask big things of us, even when we would rather not. But, we can, if we would rather too.

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