Moses ~ How to Fight through Fear

I gasped when I first saw the mountain. Wow! Fishtail was amazing, majestic, mesmerizing… until it wasn’t. On our first day in Pokhara, Nepal, the locals exclaimed how fortunate we were to see the famous peak of the Himalayas. “But how could you not see it?” we wondered. When day two arrived, the massive mountain vanished, disappearing behind the clouds. Despite spending a week in Pokhara, we never saw Fishtail again. Like Moses, we’d seen God’s power displayed and then lost sight of it. Has that happened to you?

Abandoned?

Born to slave parents, Moses’ mother hid him until she couldn’t. (Exodus 2) Then praying, she placed him in a basket (Hebrew: ark) in the Nile. God answered her prayers by sending Pharaoh’s daughter to bathe at the right time in the right place, right where the basket floated. His cries stirred her heart, and she rescued him, raising him as her son. When Moses looked at his life, he could see God at work. Wanting to aid his people, he defended an Israelite by killing his Egyptian attacker. Pharaoh threatened revenge so Moses fled to Midian. His honor status shifted from shame to honor to shame again. Had God abandoned him?

Moses’ Terrifying Encounter

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness tending his father-in-law’s flock, Moses wondered whether God had forgotten him. Then he noticed a strange sight. Fires in the desert weren’t unusual, but fires without destruction were. As he crept closer, he heard a voice. Bushes that burned without being consumed were one thing; bushes that carried on conversations, another. Moses’ heart stopped when the voice identified itself as the God of his fathers. Collectivist cultural norms demanded that the God of his fathers was also his God.

Although Moses was grateful to discover God knew and cared about his people’s suffering, God’s instructions terrified him.

So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.
Exodus 3:10

Despite later claiming to be slow of speech, Moses wasted no time in pouring out his excuses for why he couldn’t do what God commanded. (Exodus 3—4)

Who am I? Moses feared he was inadequate. Although too afraid to face Pharaoh, he was brave enough to argue with God.
Who are you? A message from an unknown god would possess diminished power among the Israelites. God’s revealed name, Yahweh—I Am Who I Am, I Will Be Who I Will Be—expresses timelessness. He is the I-Am-Always-with-You, the All-Sufficient God.
Who will believe me? Moses questioned his credibility among his people, but he missed the point. Success didn’t depend on his credibility but Yahweh’s.
Who do you think I am? Moses complained he lacked the ability to do what God asked. While not assuming the blame for Moses’ speech problem, Yahweh had the power to overcome it. How Moses’ mouth worked was God’s responsibility; whether it worked was Moses’.

How to Fight through Fear

Fear can be like the clouds that hid the mountain, rendering us blind to God’s power. Whether our question is one of adequacy, identity, credibility, or ability, fear can paralyze us. Yahweh’s answer to Moses’ every excuse was his presence: I will be with you; I will help you; I will go with you. Nevertheless, Moses balked, even with the assurance of success. For Moses, the bottom line wasn’t his capability; it was his availability.

What are we doing with our fear? The remedy doesn’t lie within us. God is the answer. As Lysa TerKeurst says, “The way he made you is in keeping with how he will use you.” Our inability highlights God’s ability. The key to overpowering paralyzing fear isn’t to hide or run from it. After all, God sent Moses to the place and people he most feared. To Moses’, “I can’t do this,” God responded, “You’re not. I am.” The solution is to turn our backs on fear, to focus on and obey the One beyond the clouds, trusting his powerful presence. He is the I’ve-Got-This, the I-Am-Everything-You-Need God.