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Moses,
Zacharias, Gideon, you & me…what do we all have in
common? We all have big BUTS!
We have at some point in our lives spoken words that
contradict our divine purpose. We confess to believing in
God and His promises yet in the same breath breathe doubt
because we don’t exercise our ability to see as He does.
When God commissioned Moses to bring His people out of
captivity, every encouraging word from the Lord was shot
down.
- BUT
who
am I that I should go to Pharaoh?
- BUT
when
I come to the children of
Israel
and say that You sent me and they ask What Your name is,
what shall I say?
- You
want me to speak? BUT
I’m too slow.
Can’t
you just send someone else? I’m not qualified for this
job.
Gideon was hiding in a wine press when God called him
a mighty man of valor.
- BUT
Gideon saw himself as the weakest link.
- BUT
how
can I save
Israel
? My family is the weakest and I’m the least in my
father’s house.
Unlike
Moses, Gideon’s exchange wasn’t as long; however, his
doubt was still present. He asked for a sign from God for
confirmation and the Lord obliged. It was only after the
sign that Gideon believed.
The angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias to share
the great news about his future son.
- BUT
how
shall I know this to be true? Do you know my wife and I
are well advanced in years?
Ol’
Zach couldn’t see past his and
Elizabeth
’s age and was struck mute because he didn’t believe
Gabriel’s words. A few days after John’s birth, his
tongue was loosed, and he spoke, praising God.
How many times do we tell God who we are just
in case He doesn’t already know? How many signs do we ask
for before we step out in faith? How silent would the
world be if every question wrapped in uncertainty caused us
to be mute until we believed?
Every BUT or word of doubt we speak challenges God’s
expectations for our lives. We have to get our
buts out of the way and just allow God to do what He
promised. Let’s see past our natural ability and focus on
His reality. He knows us better than we know ourselves and
would never commission us to do anything we are incapable
of, no matter how great or modest the task.
So
the next time an assignment arises, before any words are
spoken, think of Jesus’ perfect response to His
mission—“Not my will, BUT Yours, be done!”
That’s one BUT God will gladly accept.
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