One of my greatest epiphanies as a mother who often feels overwhelmed was reading about Moses. I shared my epiphany in the post, Moses and Motherhood: The Beauty of Broken Vessels.
Today I had to rally up that same courage again so I gave myself a shot in the arm with a condensed version. Maybe you need one too:
“Moses, I want you to go tell Pharaoh to let My people go.”
(chuckles) “Lord, in case you haven’t noticed, I am one man and Pharaoh has thousands, and I don’t think he’s in the mood to just “let Your people go”…besides that, I have a speech impediment. Not qualified–too hard–can’t do it.”
“Moses, how smug of you to think I’m depending on YOU to do it. I AM that I AM. I will do it, I’m just using you as an instrument.”
When we understand that we are instruments in His hand and when we fully grasp that He is doing something really big through us–through our children, through our husbands, through our families, churches and communities–we can march ahead with confidence. He chose us! Full of impediments. Full of fear and weakness and fully human.
He knows our limitations and He still says, “Go, and I’ll work miracles through you.”
Sometimes I need to stop arguing with God about how inadequate I am and start facing my challenges with the unstoppable resolve of having I Am at my side.
17 comments
Amen. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Six arrows I was just thinking about that verse today and how it’s the Christian’s answer to all the many self help books.
Don’t you just love that verse, Hayley? That scripture comes to mind often when I’m tempted to dwell on my weaknesses. Meditating on that passage gives me a feeling of empowerment. (Well, it’s more than a feeling; it’s the reality of what Christ is doing in me through HIS strength.) What a treasure we have in the Word!
AWESOME! Thank you, again, for your timely words of wisdom, Kelly. I just finished reading a book about Lillian Trasher who was like the George Muller of Egypt. She ran an orphanage for 50+ years depending entirely on God to provide every grain of rice and so on for the thousands of children in her care. She knew she couldn’t do it on her own and that the work she accomplished was completely God’s doing. When asked what the secret was to her success, she said, “There is no secret! I just stayed! I did not quit. I stayed with the work God gave me to do.” She had no earthly way of doing what she was doing, but she trusted God to BE God and He was. So awesome! Anyway, you reminded me of that truth again. Just do the work He has called us to and let Him be awesome through us!
I love this! I think when we read about these “great giants of faith” we tend to lift them up as if they possess some super-human power when in fact, they were very ordinary. They were just willing to place complete trust in an all-powerful God. The world needs to see more of that faith in us.
Love this and really need it. I feel I am super spread thin, taking care of my girlie who just had massive shoulder surgery while still watching a friend’s 2 year old and running out house. I need to remember I AM is everything and with me always.
Kelly–praying for an extra measure of grace for you!
I seriously think I’m going to print this out and hang it up where I can read it often. This is my biggest struggle with homeschooling. I attended a Bible college one year where everyone, regardless of major, was required to take a methods of teaching class. One of the required books was “Teaching to Change Lives” and I remember being so inspired by it. However, the class was incredibly difficult for me. I struggled through and ended up with a big F for my final grade. Satan has used that fact so many times through the years to speak discouragement to me in God’s call to educate my children. What was God thinking asking this of ME?! I feel so inadequate for this job. I’m starting to think that is exactly where God wants me, so I know any success is His hand. It’s really not about me.
So good!!
Hallelujah!! Yes, exactly what I needed to hear.
Why do I stumble back into thinking this depends on me??
What a relief to just walk along in His grace and mercy!
Thank you!
Cheri–I’m glad this met you where you needed it today.
Must He be doing something “big”? Perhaps He is just conforming us to His likeness and preparing us for The Kingdom? Are we tools? I agree with you. I think we are. Especially to our families. But, perhaps He is just teaching us to be faithful to what He has given us to do. The small, mundane, painful, hard, overwhelming, yet joy filled, daily life. And teaching us to realize we cannot even do this without Him. Perhaps that is big in its own small way. 🙂
Layne–yes, big, through the eyes of Him, which is often upside down from the world. What you described is, indeed big.
☺️♥️
Help! I can’t find this verse anywhere in my Bible where God says “I’m just using you as an instrument”. Can you please tell me where it is found so I can put the reference with it?
🙂 Robbyn there isn’t a verse with those words. If you noticed, I paraphrased the passage where God is telling Moses to go rescue His people. Moses was saying he couldn’t do it–he wasn’t capable. God was telling him that it wasn’t through his own strength that God’s people would be delivered, but that Moses was just the messenger–the “instrument” He would use. That theme is all throughout Scripture.
Thanks. I get it now. I read too fast and then saw the quotation marks and thought you were quoting the Bible, and then couldn’t find it in my Bible. Thanks for clearing that up.