“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey… So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’” Exodus 3:7-10
What do you when God has given you a destination, a vision, a call – but hasn’t detailed the challenges that you will face on the journey? This was the question that Debbie Wright explored on the Wednesday evening of the New Wine leadership conference.
We will all face unexpected challenges on the journey that God has called us to – Moses didn’t know when God called him that he would spend 40 years in the desert – and when we find ourselves in uncharted territory it can be hard to believe that God has more for us. Debbie shared powerfully the doubts that she had about God’s call on her life, when the task ahead seemed to be more than she could withstand. The desert can draw out the worst in us, or it can change us.
For many of the Israelites the challenges of the desert led them to complain and reject God, whereas Moses adopted a posture of leaning into God. He poured his heart out, he asked for help and he pursued more of God (Numbers 11). Complaint is anchored in the suspicion that God isn’t good; so let go of that suspicion, lean into God, take your pain to Him and trust that He will be enough. In the case of Debbie’s story she asked God for a sign that He really was calling her to this difficult task, and He provided one just when she needed it most.
When we believe that God is good and when we believe the call He has placed on our lives, then we can trust him to provide for us.
What anxiety are you leaning into God with?
What burden are you giving to Him?
What disappointment are you bringing to Him?
Have you told God your anguish in all its rawness – written it out in black and white?
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
