You Can't Succeed Serving God Without His Preparation and Power

My Utmost For His Highest

 

…when Moses was grown…he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. —Exodus 2:11

 

“Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, “ ‘…bring My people…out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go…?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.” CHAMBERS

 

There is a pattern that I have seen on the lives of those God has called.  You can see it clearly in the Bible.  God calls, He prepares and then He sends.  Many people have the problem of skipping over the preparation part.  They know what God said and they do it.  In Moses' case, he killed an Egyptian.  That forced him to flee and it was during that time, that God prepared Moses for his mission.  In my own life, near the end of hurricane Katrina work in Mississippi, people were telling us that we needed to go to Haiti, largely because of the earthquake.  In fact, some said we should go immediately.  As it turned out, we ended up going back to Alabama where we served with another ministry that worked with orphans.  We did that for almost a year. 

 

Then God connected us to a ministry in Haiti that proved to be the place that God had been preparing us for.  Not only did we use the gifts and relationships that we developed in Mississippi, but during that year we also developed a heart for orphans which proved to be key to our work in Haiti.  The point .. don’t get ahead of God.  You cannot do something God has called you to do apart from God’s preparation and power.  It is an impossible task.  Any gains you might make will be for your glory and not His.  You must be willing to wait on God.  During that time, you might be challenged in your faith and confidence. But be patient.  God has a purpose and a plan.  “Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31) Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait!  ELGIN