Rise to the Occasion
Have you ever cupped a tiny scared, shaking animal in your hand? After you’ve held it awhile, it calms down, stops shaking, closes its eyes and falls asleep. It goes from terrified to trusting in minutes. For you, it’s a tender moment that brings out a kind of paternal instinct. This ball of fluff or feathers becomes your little guy, and you realize instantly that you are protecting it from a cruel world that it might not survive in.
What is it about this little creature that brings out the gentle, defending side of you? Helplessness. That’s what it is. You know what could become of this animal if not for you.
And the point today is, if you feel like a tiny scared, shaking creature, look up to God. He loves to hold people like you in His hands and comfort them. He has a soft spot for meek and contrite people. In fact, He prefers them. The LORD lifteth up the meek (Psalms 147:6a ) But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (1 Peter 3:4)
The word meek means poor, humble, needy, crushed and contrite. That sounds like a mild person to me. It describes Jesus Himself. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Mat 11:29 Did you catch that? You can find rest for your troubled soul if you are meek and lowly in heart. Maybe your temperament, by nature, is quiet, low-grade depressed, shy and scared. If so, you probably tend to compare yourself with bolder people and envy them. But you’re actually in good company. Moses was like you. You will love reminding yourself about him from reading Exodus 3 and 4.
God had a plan to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. He chose Moses to be His spokesman and leader. In Exodus 3, God gets Moses’ attention and lays out His entire plan of delivering the Israelites by using him. In Exodus 4:10, Moses explains O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
So, why did God choose him? Why didn’t God choose an outgoing person with a booming voice? After all, they didn’t have microphones back then.
God doesn’t think like we do. There’s something about weakness that works for Him. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. (Exodus 4:11-12) Part of Moses’ appeal in God’s eyes was that he was meek. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Num. 12:3 If you read Numbers 12, you find the context of this statement. Aaron and Miriam decided that they were just as good and capable of leading people as Moses was. But God defended Moses, and that’s when He inserted the fact that Moses was meek. If meekness is weakness in men’s eyes, it’s moldable putty in God’s eyes.
So rise up. No more excuses. Ask God what He wants you to accomplish through you, and don’t say you can’t do it. He doesn’t accept no for an answer. He will be with you and show you how to accomplish whatever it is.