God Called Fearful Moses: I'll Be With You
Daily Scripture
Exodus 3:2-12, 13:20-22
Exodus 3
2 The LORD’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. 3 Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.
4 When the LORD saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
Moses said, “I’m here.”
5 Then the LORD said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” 6 He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the LORD said, “I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain. 8 I’ve come down to rescue them from the Egyptians in order to take them out of that land and bring them to a good and broad land, a land that’s full of milk and honey, a place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all live. 9 Now the Israelites’ cries of injustice have reached me. I’ve seen just how much the Egyptians have oppressed them. 10 So get going. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 God said, “I’ll be with you.”
Exodus 13
20 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 The LORD went in front of them during the day in a column of cloud to guide them and at night in a column of lightning to give them light. This way they could travel during the day and at night. 22 The column of cloud during the day and the column of lightning at night never left its place in front of the people.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
God came to Moses as he did his steady, boring job. At first, Moses was just curious: “How can that bush be in flames yet not burn up?” Then he took off his sandals and hid his face from God’s glorious presence. But God’s call shocked him: “I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt.” “Who am I to go to Pharaoh?” Moses asked. Raised in Pharaoh’s court, Moses knew the king’s arrogance and claims to being a god. But the true God promised Moses, “I will be with you.”
- Moses didn’t feel strong or important enough for God’s astonishing call. Go alone, with no army, and demand that Pharaoh release his slave labor force? The cloud by day and fire by night showed not just Moses but all Israel that God was with them. Have you ever thought, “Who am I?” and limited your ability to live for God? How does believing God will be with you change your view of those limits?
- Moses, raised in a palace, spent years shepherding flocks in the desert. Did he ever think, “I guess this is all God has for me”? How was his realization that he wasn’t strong or important enough to carry out the divine commission actually a key part of what made him an instrument God could use?
Prayer
Prayer: O God, you don’t call all of us to huge, historic missions like the one you gave Moses. But at times your call looks big enough that I get scared. Give me your strength to live for you beyond any of my fears. Amen.
GPS Insights
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory, who serves as a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection, wrote today's Insights. He helps lead worship at Leawood's modern worship services, as well as at the West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
I wish I could say that I related to Moses in this passage, but if I’m honest, right now, I feel more like the burning bush. I’m not filled with curiosity and awe; I feel like I’m on fire, and I wonder why I haven’t completely burned out yet. 2025 was a rough year, and 2026 isn’t looking great so far either. But, through the grace of God, I am still here, feeling like I’m on fire, but not consumed. I am still here, and that’s an accomplishment.
But God’s call is the same regardless of my level of combustion. The call to stand up to injustice and oppression is one of the Bible’s biggest themes. We see it everywhere, from the writings of ancient prophets to Jesus’ teachings. When God talks to Moses about his lineage—I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God—it’s a reminder that God has a long history of calling people to fight injustice and oppression.
Moses’s words echo my own thoughts. Who am I to stand against this? What can I do? Who will listen to me? Who will follow me? Knowing how small I am in relation to huge systemic issues is overwhelming. My skills as a software developer don’t translate well to leading movements. My struggles with depression and physical ailments like asthma make me an unlikely leader.
God’s answer to Moses is simple: “I’ll be with you.” That’s it. No online courses for leadership. No books about history or politics. No map. No compass. Just a promise that He’ll be there if we take the step forward. To me, that’s terrifying. I’d at least like a pamphlet—preferably, a GPS device and full itinerary. Moses didn’t have that—and I would bet that he felt he needed more than God’s promise—but he chose to go anyway.
Moses didn’t feel like he was prepared, but he answered that call to fight against oppression and injustice. He remembered the most important part: you have to show up. He didn’t cry for someone to do something; he went and did something himself, even if he didn’t know what that was when he started. I am admittedly not great at this. I feel like I’m just scraping by in life on my own; taking on huge systemic problems sounds way beyond my grasp. But, just like Moses, I have to show up. That’s my challenge to myself in this new year, and I hope many will join me.
