Please Send Someone Else

(Originally published on The Year of Blogging Faithfully, January 6, 2015 ©Bethany Turner)

Can you imagine being called to work with children when you don’t like kids? Or being led to share the Good News in Russia or China if you were afraid to fly? What about sharing your testimony at church in spite of your fear of public speaking?

Unfathomable, and clearly not part of God’s plan, right? I mean, after all, if He meant for you to travel to China, He would have made it possible for you to drive there. Right?

All of those scenarios are pretty laughable. Let’s see if we can think of some more… Ooh, I know! Can you imagine being called to lead your people out of slavery, and be someone they would follow around the desert for years, if you had speech deficiencies? Or what if you were chosen to not only be a queen, but also risk your life to save an entire race of people, all because you were in a certain place at a certain time? Or – now this one’s funny – what if you spent years fighting against followers of Jesus, and one day you were suddenly blinded and called to be one of the greatest advocates for everything you previously detested?

Nah. God doesn’t want to make us uncomfortable, right? None of that would happen.

Except, of course, it did. Moses, Esther, and Paul are just three of countless examples of times when God called people to step out of their comfort zone and step into the light. His light.

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ But Moses said, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.’” (Exodus 4:10-13)

We all have excuses. Some of us even have reasons – actual, legitimate reasons. Queen Esther didn’t want to go before the king, and not just because she was nervous or shy. It was law that if anyone – even the queen – approached the king in the inner court without being summoned, they would be put to death. As excuses go, that one is pretty legit. Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.

But the king was pleased with Esther and raised the gold scepter, sparing her life with that one action. And God “just happened” to give Moses a brother, Aaron, who was an excellent public speaker. And that other guy? Paul? Through him, God performed great miracles and saved countless souls.

We all have excuses, or reasons, or shortcomings, or dark pasts. But that’s us. And when we think that God can’t use us because of those things, we aren’t giving Him enough credit. Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else. But God doesn’t want to send someone else. We are each called to service for His Kingdom. No follower of Christ is an exception to that. We need to serve. Not everyone is called to free their people from slavery or write letters which will be studied for thousands of years to come, but we’re all called. And when we think we’re not enough, we’re right. But God is more than enough. He will not call us then abandon us. He will provide an Aaron to speak for us, or a gold scepter to protect us.

Stop thinking about what you can’t do, or what you don’t want to do. Stop asking Him to send someone else. Stop ignoring Him. Stop thinking that the Great Commission applies to everyone but you. Stop making excuses. Stop giving reasons.

Instead, just say yes, and then get ready to see what He does next.