Are You Scared of God’s Call on Your Life?

One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Exodus 2:11-12 ESV

As a baby, Moses barely escaped death at the hand of Egypt’s Pharaoh (Exodus 2:3-10). And when we fast forward to today’s passage, we see him dealing death out in surprising fashion.

Though he was a Hebrew, Moses grew up as part of the royal family. Forty years have passed since he was plucked from the Nile by an Egyptian princess. He walks like an Egyptian, talks like an Egyptian—but today, he’s gripped by an undeniable conviction as a defender of his people.

He’s so enraged at the injustice of his people he kills the man who’s beating his countryman. In his mind, he’s done something good; and best of all, he thinks he’s gotten away with it.

But the next day, he sees two Hebrew men in a fist fight with each other (Exodus 2:13). He breaks up the scuffle, then asks them why on earth they’d be fighting when they’re supposed to be “companion[s].”

Right away, the guy who started the fight threw Moses’s royal title sarcastically in his face and questions his true intentions, saying, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14).

We’ll pick up the story from here, tomorrow. But this was a pivotal, defining moment that would set the tone for the next four decades of his life.

You see, Moses’s first act as a defender and deliverer of the Israelites was met with skepticism and rejection. So years later, when he would meet God in the burning bush (Exodus 3), Moses resisted God’s call to act as his peoples’ deliverer (Exodus 4:1).

Why? Because he was sure they would reject his calling and help, just like this man did.

So, the question for us today is this. Has God called you to step up and lead? But you’re afraid to do so because you think people will call you a phony, a fraud, and reject God’s work in your life?

If so, who do you fear more… God or man?

This devotional series is based on the book, The Men With Bare Feet: Discovering Intimacy With God Through Moses, Joshua, and Jesus. Great news, this week only, you can get a free copy of the book by clicking here!