Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck & How Surrender Sets You FreeSýnishorn

After Moses continually argued with God about his ability to take on this assignment, pleading with God to give it to someone else, God suggested Aaron become Moses’ spokesman. Note carefully what God also said. “He shall speak to you for the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs”. (Exodus 4:16-17). 

It was that same staff God made him face in fear and squash and subdue. Aaron speaks, Moses performs the signs. Got it. Except that’s not what happened, and God made extra sure Moses understood His directions because He repeats them a second time. “And the LORD said, ‘When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power,’” (Exodus 4:21a). Those “yous” and that “your” are not plural. God did not mean Moses and Aaron. He meant Moses. 

Moses took a backseat to his older brother, Aaron, but this isn’t the arrangement God intended. Our fear propels us into passivity, but God invites us to pursue victory. Our fear of inadequacy will cause us to hide behind others, deflecting the outcome onto them, so we won’t be responsible for any future failures. God doesn’t want us to sit back and miss out on what He has planned for us, so He addresses Moses’ unwillingness to follow His commands.

What opportunities, circumstances or situations do you avoid out of fear of inadequacy or rejection? It’s time to grab it by the tail and squash it in your fist. Running away will never make it go away. When we surrender that fear over to our Father, we will finally be free.

Question:

Have you ever deferred responsibility to someone else because it felt safer or easier? How does shirking responsibility signify a fear of inadequacy or failure?

Personal Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me to face my fears and stop running away from people and situations that you are calling me to hand over in faith into your almighty hand.