I struggle a lot with my skills in speaking. I am not that great at it. I stumble over my words. I can never think of what I want to say when I need to say it. Some people are skilled at it. I am not. I am a woman of few words and sometimes I don't like that.
But hey, guess what. One of the greatest prophets in history struggled with the same problem.
Exodus 4: 10-11
But Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly and can't find the best words."
Then the Lord said to him, "Who made a person's mouth? And who makes someone deaf or not able to speak? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the Lord. Now go! I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say.
Say what?
Moses, the guy who God used to liberate Israel? The guy who spoke to God and received the 10 commandments? The guy who was used to build a nation? That Moses?
Yeah, THAT Moses struggled with speaking. But God saw past that! Moses thought He had an excuse to get out of talking to the Israelites and to Pharaoh. God shot that down. God explained to Moses that He was going to provide the help that Moses would need. He would provide Moses with the words that needed to be spoken.
Moses continued to complain even after God had counteracted Moses' excuses over and over again (Exodus 4:1-13). Although God became angry with Moses for doubting His providence, God still offered to give Moses a "partner in crime" to help him out, a skilled speaker by the name of Aaron (Exodus 4: 14-16). There was no chance that God was going to give up on Moses. God saw past every single excuse that Moses had. He saw past his lack of speaking skills. God knew the Great things that Moses was capable of doing. Moses was just blind to it.
I find myself in Moses' position a lot of times. I pass up the opportunity to talk to someone because I am afraid that I might not know what to say. Why should I have that fear? God is going to provide me with the words that I need to speak. When I am given the opportunity to share the gospel, whether that be in America or Africa, God is going to be there with me. His Holy Spirit will teach me what to say (Luke 12:11-12). I have no reason to fear. God knows my weaknesses and He counteracts those weaknesses with His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9).
