But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11, NASB

Have you ever asked God to choose someone else? 

Maybe you had to give a presentation, and the idea of speaking in front of an audience made you want to throw up.  You might have been assigned the role of standing at the foul line with an opportunity to tie the game with three seconds remaining. 

Perhaps you’ve been given the difficult task of sharing tragic news with a friend or family member. In these moments, most of us would prefer for God to pick someone else.

When I think of wanting God to pick someone else, I think of public speaking. Every time I stand in front of a crowd, I have butterflies in my stomach, and I sometimes tremble so severely that I need a podium to hold my notes.  

God, Send Someone Else

When I consider today’s Focus Verse, I think about the way I feel when I’m asked to speak publicly, and I understand Moses’ trepidation.  Let’s take a closer look at the context of this verse as we aim to apply it to our lives:

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. 

So Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” 

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 

And He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

And the Lord said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:1-11 NASB

Let’s review this scenario: Moses has just encountered the presence of the Living God through a burning bush.  Furthermore, God has instructed Moses to speak to Pharaoh—the king of Egypt—and lead millions of Hebrew people out of slavery.  

Moses puts up quite the protest and begs God to send someone else.  Much to Moses’ disappointment, God doesn’t relent.  He agrees to send Moses’ brother, Aaron, to help him speak, but he doesn’t let Moses off the hook.

At some point in your life, you might ask God to send someone else.  When this happens, remember Moses’ story.

Moses wasn’t eloquent—he felt nervous and underqualified.  Scholars have even suggested that Moses had a stutter or speech impediment that made him especially anxious about the idea of speaking to Pharaoh and leading God’s people.  Nonetheless, God doesn’t choose us based on our eloquence or worldly qualifications.  He looks for those who love him, and then he sends us assignments that feel way too big for us.

Our role is to trust that the same God who calls us will also provide for us.  God used Moses to free millions of people from slavery.  

How does he want to use you?  Maybe he wants to use you to share his love with friends who don’t know him.  He might want to use you as a leader on your team; maybe he’s calling you to be more open about sharing your faith and praying with your teammates.

Perhaps God is calling you to step into a new situation that feels uncertain to you.  You might be starting a new job, getting ready to graduate, or moving to a new city.  No matter what you’re facing, you can trust that God will go with you.  He will guide you and help you.  

A Prayer for When You are Afraid

Promises to Cling to as You Step Out in Faith

Meditate on these verses and how God has promised in His word to be with you and equip you for any task, big or small, that He has called you to complete for His glory.

God Will Go Before You

“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars” (Isaiah 45:2).

God Will Guide You

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

God Will Never Leave You

^“ And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

God Will Provide for You

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?” (Matthew 6:30).

God wants to use you to share his love with others, and he will be with you each step of the way.  How will you respond to his call?

Reflection Questions

• Have you ever asked God to choose someone else to step into a challenging situation that was placed in front of you? 

• What do you sense God showing you about his provision and his calling for you?

• Have an adult share about a time when you asked God to send someone else to complete a task that was placed in front of you.  How did the experience turn out, and what did it teach you?

Ultimate List of Free Devotions for Youth

Guest Blogger Bio.

Bekah and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God.  We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together.  Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  We will help you!

Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books!  You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.

To connect with Bekah and Stacey again online, visit staceypardoe.com, where they share insights on encountering God in our ordinary moments.