Who Am I?

God seems to love calling his followers to do things that simply do not make sense—at least to the outside world. Our adoption has (naturally) been a big topic of conversation in our lives recently. Almost every time I talk to family or run into someone at work or church they ask about our adoption. The vast majority of these conversations are positive and encouraging.

But there are many folks to simply don’t understand. Why would you want to adopt? Can you not have children “of your own?” Why would you want to adopt before having “your own” children? Why Africa? Why not adopt an American? Why adopt someone from a different race?

Most of these questions are not asked with ill intent, but it is clear that to many, our calling to adopt a child from Africa simply does not make sense.

I’m often reminded of the exchange between God and Moses in Exodus 3, when God calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt:

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” And God said, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:11-12)

God comes to Moses and directly calls him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This is no small task. In fact, God is calling Moses to lead one of the most important events in human history.  

The people of Israel had multiplied greatly in Egypt but had become enslaved by Pharaoh. Exodus 1:11 says, “They put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor.” In Exodus 3:10 we see God beginning to enact His plan to liberate His people. He says to Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Think about how outrageous that sounds. God is sending one man—an Israelite—to the king of Egypt to demand freedom for the Israelites. Here is how Moses responds:

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

To Moses, God’s command simply did not make sense. If God wanted to liberate the Israelites from Egypt, wouldn’t an army of angels be the best means? But God sends Moses, a man unconfident in himself and admits he cannot even speak well (Ex. 4:10).

His questioning of God’s command is exactly how I would have reacted in the same situation: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? Why on earth would the king of Egypt listen to me and do what I say? He’ll kill me!”

I love God’s response in 3:12: “I will be with you.”

God doesn’t respond by reassuring Moses of all of his strengths and gifts. God doesn’t try to explain His plan to Moses and reason with Him as to why the plan “makes sense.”

God simply says, “I will be with you.”

In other words, Moses is a nobody. Moses has no business getting in Pharaoh’s face, demanding the release of the Israelites. But it’s not about Moses. It’s about God.

Moses’ question is Moses-centered: Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?

God’s response is God-centered: I will be with you.

I sometimes wonder why God has called Whitney and me to adopt a child from another continent. My thoughts, like Moses, are Derek-centered. Who am I, that I should be a father to this child? What qualifications do I have? Will I be a good father? Do I have what it takes?

These questions are all Derek-centered. God’s response, as always, is God-centered: I will be with you.

In your walk with Christ, God will inevitably call you to do something that does not “make sense.” You will not be able to see where the path leads, but if you trust God’s leading, you can be assured that He will be with you. It may be a difficult path (as Moses’ was!), but it will be the good path. It may not be the safe path, but it will be the righteous path. It will certainly not be a path heavily traveled, but we can be assured that God has already walked it before us.

 
And remember, it’s not about what you bring to the table. It’s about God. He will be with you, and that’s all that really matters.