Have you ever felt like you are a failure?
Like you have missed your chance at the best life that God has for you. If so, then this is for you.
Many of us have made mistakes, sure. This is the whole reason that Jesus left heaven – to atone for our sins and bring us into a right relationship with God.
But how many of us have allowed those sins and mistakes to follow us around. Perhaps you have even marked yourself with your sin and struggle to accept the forgiveness that was bought for you on the cross.
If any of this is sounding familiar, you are in good company. Let me explain…
On The Run
Moses was a young man when he committed murder. He was born a Hebrew but raised as an Egyptian. One day, he went out to see his own people.
It is here, in Exodus 2:11 that we pick up his story:
Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.
The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight.
The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?”
Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.
(Exodus 2:11-15 NLT)
Murder.
I can imagine that Moses was terrified when he came to terms with what he had done. He had taken the life of a fellow man and everyone knew it. And so he ran.
Sometimes we feel like running from our mistakes, don’t we?
But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
Called
Fast forward many years and we pick up the story in Midian where Moses has spent many years of his runaway life:
One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
God answered, “I will be with you.”
(Exodus 3:1-12 NLT)
It’s Not Over Yet
Moses’ first instinct when called was to protest.
“Who am I?”, he asks God.
No doubt the word ‘murderer’ was running around in Moses’ mind.
But God persists. God knew Moses. He knew his heart. He knew that he could do what he was called to do, irrespective of his past.
The same is true for you, friend.
You may feel disqualified and forgotten about because of past behaviour and choices that you have made but God doesn’t disqualify you. He chooses you!
Moses led the whole Israelite people to freedom from slavery despite his ‘mistake’ and his past sin.
GOD CAN STILL USE YOU.
No matter what is in your past, leave it there. Don’t allow your history to dictate your future.
The Bible is littered with characters who made all kinds of errors in judgement and God still used them mightily. Consider David, the adulterer, also known as a man after God’s own heart!
If you are looking over your shoulder today, waiting for your past to catch up with you, wondering if God will ever consider you worthy of purpose again, know this – God is God. He can use whomever He deems fit for the job, no matter what they have been through.
I hope that this encourages you to keep going. God sees you and He still has a plan and a purpose for your life. Walk in it.
