Isaiah 6:8 ESV  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

Here is the test of friendship, indeed the test for best friends: Will you be there for me when I need you? Best friends always respond: No matter where you are, no matter when you need me, I will be there for you!

Anyone who has followed hard after God has had the experience of the “call.” The call is the challenge to follow God into ministry, into service. Jesus came NOT to be served, but to serve. God does not just reveal himself to us so that we can “have the experience.” He comes to us in order to prepare us to go for him to others. “Go into all the world and disciple all nations.” When you seek God and his kingdom, you can expect the question to come: Will you go?

Now, we may respond as Moses did and offer God excuses. Remember, God revealed himself to Moses from the burning bush.  Moses was on holy ground and hid his face, afraid to look at God. It is from that bush that God speaks to Moses about what is on HIS heart. When you are seeking God, you expect to share with him what is on YOUR heart. But you may not be prepared for him to share what is on HIS heart. He has determined to deliver his people from Egypt and wants Moses to take the message to Pharaoh to “let my people go.” Moses immediately begins to make excuses.

Excuse 1: Who am I? Who am I, God, to represent you? I don’t have money, I don’t have status, I don’t have recognition, I don’t have advanced degrees, I don’t have visual appeal, I don’t have a glamorous lifestyle, I don’t have what it takes. And to whom does the world listen? To those who do. But I also believe that the world will have to pay attention to someone in whom and through whom the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE is working! God says to you, “But I will be with you!”

Excuse 2: When I am asked about whom I serve, what do I say? We have heard the response before, just as Moses heard it from Pharaoh, “Who do you think you are?” We are so afraid that we will be made an embarrassment if we are asked about God, that we choose to avoid religious questions and religious discussion altogether. The solution to this dilemma is not to avoid these discussions or to cower in a corner afraid to “be found out.” GET PREPARED! God says, “I am who I am.” Jesus says, “He is the God of the living and not the dead.” Get to know him, if you intend to represent him. There ARE answers and you CAN know the God you seek to serve. “I AM” has revealed himself to us in his WORLD, in his WORD, and most specially in his SON.

Excuse 3: They will not believe me or listen to me! Sometimes we get the idea that WE are the ones who have to make the impression, get the job done, assure results. We forget that we are partners with the living God, who has made the world, worked miracles, accomplished his plan, worked according to his good pleasure. We start to bear the burden of the work on our shoulders, thinking that the God who has requested our service has left the task to us. What do you have in your hand? God can use it in miraculous ways, if you will let go, trust, and allow him to work. God does NOT call us to get results. He calls us to be faithful and obedient.

Excuse 4: I don’t have what it takes. Now, we often mistake this kind of response for humility. And Moses was, after all, the meekest and humblest man on the face of the earth. Well, forget using this one with God. He sees through our false humility and sees selfish pride. We want to deflect the question of “who will go?” by just shrugging it off with the old “I can’t do it” mantra of childhood days. “I am the God who made you!” You can’t, but I can through you! I will take what you have and make it work! If God is calling you, he wants to use you and He will do the work through you. You just need to be willing to be his vessel.

Excuse 5: Here I am, please send HIM or HER! Send someone else. God, I just don’t want to do this. It seems too difficult, too challenging, too dangerous, too big. At this point, the Bible says that “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.” In other words, God gets upset when we try to excuse ourselves with “can’t someone else do it!” My mom always had the same response when I tried to use the “can’t Mark or Carolyn do it.” She would say, “But I asked you to do it!” If God has called YOU, he wants YOU to do it.

Isaiah used none of these excuses with God here, but I think there are many who respond the way Moses did. What excuses are you using to avoid the call of God to get involved in service? When are you going to stop making excuses and get “going”?

The disobedient and selfish will respond to the flattery of the world and listen to its siren song, but God’s people will stand up and move forward with him. Daniel 11:32 ESV  He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.