Exodus 3:11
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Don’t we usually doubt God’s first request for us to do something? Isn’t our first reaction to Him often to think He is making some kind of mistake? Perhaps this springs not necessarily from willful disobedience, but just an overwhelming sense of our smallness and inadequacy. Because the truth is, we are small and inadequate and unable to do anything He asks of us.

We look at ourselves and say, “I cannot do that,” and no greater truth was ever spoken. But God is not mistaken in making His requests of us. We are mistaken in thinking that now that He’s asked something of us, we are to go out in our own power and accomplish it. What a foolish thought. He’s perhaps asked us to do just what He knows we cannot do, because then we will rely on Him to do it through us, and that ensures that the glory is His and we steal none for ourselves.

Perhaps we bristle at God’s requests out of fear. Maybe we’re fearful of failing. We don’t want to look bad or suffer some indignity. We don’t want to let others down. We don’t want to feel like a failure to God. Maybe we’re fearful of succeeding, for then God might ask something else of us. We might have to sacrifice. We might not get to do something we want to do. We won’t get to be in control.

Perhaps we, like Moses, are focusing too much on ourselves and what we were and are and are not instead of on God and who He is and who He is not. God will take us as we are with what we have. And when we take that step of faith, He will give us what we need to take the next one. He is working through us, not making us do something for Him that He couldn’t do without us. He doesn’t need us, but He wants to use us. So when we quit stammering our excuses, when we quit doubting Him, when we stop looking at ourselves and telling God how much we can’t, then we simply go out and accomplish something for Him. We face down Pharaoh. We lead the people. We finish the journey. And ultimately we bring God the glory that He is due.