series: The God who remembers #
verse: Exodus 4:18-31 #
We see that Moses stumbles and fails before he was used by God.
Main Idea: #
We often create a narrative presumptuously, and we have a pride to protect that notion. And this can unfortunately lead us to stubbornly miss out on opportunity. But to avoid this, we have to fail. Failure often comes first, but God’s power will follow succintly after.
Why must failure come first? #
It’s really simple. Failure exposes us. We as humans are severely inadequate and our visible failures force us to rely on God. In the verse, we find Moses failing repeatedly (like 3-4 times in the excerpt alone). When we experience failure, hardships, and mistakes, they’re all part of God’s soverign plan. It helps us recognize that we need and depend on God in our lives.
When does failure transition into power? #
Ultimately, it’s when we hit rock bottom and stop depending on our own strength, but rather on God’s. Give up striving on our own, and give in to surrendering to God. When Moses takes steps of surrender, he finally gets to experience the power of God. God desires to build an intimate and genuine relationship with us, but that depends entirely on our willingness to surrender ourselves for Him. And understand that us sacrificing and surrendering our lives to him can only occur when we truly understand the gravity of his character and identity.
What does God’s power look like after failure? #
There are multiple levels to how we respond to God. For instance, Moses was called to save the Israelites and bring them out of Egypt, but it is important to note that it wasn’t about leaving Egypt, rather, entering the promised land. So when we fail, when we surrender, in times when we feel closer to God, don’t just take action. Go the extra mile. Imagine a life where you can dedicate 200% of yourself for his kingdom. Our joy is complete when we are serving and worshiping our God. God uses to reveal to other people the power and glory of him.
Call to action #
If you are today, navigating through hardships, uncertainties, etc., know that God is using these failures so that you can draw nearer to Him, and preparing you for a transformation. But it requires you to acknowledge your inadequacy, and depend solely on God. The more we surrender ourselves, the more joy we can experience.