I Will Be With You

M

ost people who know me would agree that I am rarely at a loss for words.  In fact, they would tell you that it’s hard to get a word in, especially when I’m on a roll.  I believe that’s why I love teaching language. I get paid to talk and I make sure my employer gets the full benefit of the investment.  However, there are times when words don’t come so easily.  I receive a phone call telling me someone has experienced a death in his/her family, or someone calls because they’ve had a falling out with a friend, or someone wants to talk because they’ve received word that a loved one has an incurable disease.  How do you respond at a time like this?  What words can you say or what can you do to minister to their needs?

I will always remember the summer of 1999. I was working as a chaplain at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, located in the southwestern United States.  I was one of two chaplains on call for this particular week.  It was our duty to deliver messages, address conflicts, do interventions, and attend to the needs of both staff and campers when called upon. It was during this week that I had to perform one of the most difficult tasks of my life.

Early on Tuesday morning, my beeper sounded, requesting me to deliver a message to one of the adult advisors who was on the trail.  I took the message, wrote down the necessary information and made arrangements to locate the advisor.  The message I carried was not an easy one to relay.  During the night, the advisor’s mother had passed away and it was up to me to deliver that message.  I had never delivered a death message and I had no idea what to do or say.  In all honesty, I didn’t want to deliver that message and would have loved to pass it on to someone else.  I asked another, more-seasoned chaplain to go with me and he agreed.  On the way he told me he would help me and gave me good advice about how to deliver this news.  As a result of his counsel, the message was delivered and I was able to minister to this person’s needs.

If you’ve ever been in a similar situation where you didn’t have the “right words” to speak, you’ll be glad to know you are not alone.  Some of the greatest men and women of faith have also felt inadequate when called upon to minister to and serve others for God.  One such man was Moses.  God’s request that he return to Egypt and confront Pharaoh left Moses speechless and scrambling for excuses not to obey God’s command.  He was scared and had no idea what to say.  I mean it’s not every day a guy is called upon to walk into the throne room of the most powerful ruler in the world and demand the release of the entire labor force.  You talk about needing the power of persuasion!!!!!  But this is exactly what God required of Moses; and, in a similar way, it is what He requires of us.

Exodus 4:11-12 gives us a wonderful snapshot of Moses at the burning bush, talking with God.  Moses has given almost every excuse in the book and yet God still calls him.  But God does not intend for Moses to go alone.  He never says “Go down, tell Pharaoh to hand over the slaves, and then meet me back here when it’s all over!”  No! Look at what God tells Moses in this conversation. “The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

Like all of us, Moses gives God every reason for not being able to carry out the assigned task.  Moses had difficulty speaking, he had murdered an Egyptian, and he was a fugitive.  Not a very impressive resume, is it?  But none of that was important to God.  He knew all about Moses and called him into service anyway.  We must understand that when God calls us to do something for Him, He always equips us and prepares us for that task.  Look at the last sentence in this passage of scripture. God promises to help Moses and to teach him the words to say.  In other words, the actions Moses would perform and the words he would speak would both come from God.  God never asked Moses to free the people, and He never asked Moses to take on Pharaoh.  Moses was incapable of both these tasks.  But God did ask him to do what he was able to do—proclaim God’s message.

There is a great lesson here for us today as well as great comfort.  God always calls us to things that are bigger than we are.  He always assigns us tasks that are out of our reach, that are too great for us to handle, and that are impossible for us to perform.  Why does it seem that God sets us up for failure?  Moses certainly didn’t feel confident about his ability to carry out his mission.  But God didn’t let Moses fail because Moses had to depend on God.  That is why He gives us such difficult tasks, so we will depend on and cling tightly to Him.  God assigns us the impossible, not to see us fail, but so that we will gain a better and more complete knowledge of who He is and His great love for us.    

Today you may be faced with sharing some difficult news with a friend, a co-worker, or a family member.  You might also be called upon to share Jesus with someone you know or perhaps a complete stranger.  The feelings of inadequacy are normal and so is a little fear.  But God has promised to go with you and to teach you what you are to say.  Go forward in His strength, in His provision, and in His love today.  You will not be disappointed and you will never, ever fail!