Many of us who are genuinely trying to follow Jesus are at times still intimidated when He asks us to do something that is outside of our comfort zone. Sometimes it may be big, like Moses being directed to confront Pharaoh, and sometimes it may be small, like God encouraging us to reach out and show love to someone by helping or serving them. God often challenges us to do something which will require His help. We can not easily imagine how we could do it on our own.
Sometimes we can get paralyzed waiting for God to start the mission before we begin to obey. God, however, often wants us to begin the journey in faith before He demonstrates His hand at work helping us to complete the mission.
I heard a great metaphor to help think about this from an everyday perspective. Think of God a bit like a night light with a motion sensor… yes, really. If we know there is a night light in the room, and we have faith in its power, it still does not come on until we start to move. Then, and only then, will the light turn on and show us the way forward. So too with God. He wants us to trust and obey… and once we begin, then He will demonstrate His hand guiding and directing the events to help us accomplish the mission.
Consider as an example, Moses. God tasked Moses with a big mission to go and bring God’s message to Pharaoh… a message Pharaoh would not want to hear. Moses had to accept the mission and start moving in obedience before God sent Aaron to meet him as his helper in accomplishing the mission.
18Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
21The LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23“So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”
Exodus 4:27-31
27Now the LORD said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30and Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.
When God asks us to do something that stretches us beyond our comfort zone, we should faithfully trust that He will help us to accomplish it if we embrace the mission with commitment to obey and do it His way. But we do well to remember that we will often have to begin the mission in faith before we see His hand at work helping us.
Prayerfully consider what God may be calling you to do that seems to be beyond your own comfort zone. What steps can you take to begin the mission in faith and obedience even before you may understand how you will accomplish it?
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