Psalm of Praise: Psalms 104:1-3
I will praise the Lord.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are dressed in glory and majesty.
You wrap yourself in light as if it were a robe.
You spread the heavens out like a tent.
You build your palace high in the heavens.
You make the clouds serve as your chariot.
You ride on the wings of the wind.
Bible Reading: Exodus 3:9-10, 4:10-12
God said to Moses, ‘And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." Moses said to the Lord, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The Lord said to him, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
A Reflection:
When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land, he made numerous excuses as to why he shouldn’t go to Pharoah and tell him to let his people go. Moses’s last excuse was that he wasn’t eloquent, that he would get tongue-tied in front of Pharoah and that he wouldn’t know what to say.
I wonder how many times we don’t say something because we are unsure what to say. It might be a conversation with someone who is struggling. It might be to challenge someone about an problem you are aware of, it might be to ask a favour of someone else or it might be to share your faith with someone. Remember, in these situations, as with Moses, God is with you and he will teach you what to say. Don’t let the fear of being tongue-tied stop you from encouraging or challenging someone. Or of praying to God.
This final excuse actually made God angry with Moses but, in spite of that, God offered to send Aaron, Moses’s more eloquent brother, to go with Moses and to speak for him.
Initially when Moses and Aaron challenged Pharoah we are told ‘They said to him…’ but later on it seems that it was Moses who did the talking. Maybe it was through Aaron that God taught Moses what to say.
Sometimes it helps to be supported by someone else when we need to have a difficult conversation. Who do you know who might help you in such a situation? And who do you know who might need your encouragement to have a difficult conversation?
Pray:
Holy Spirit, give me the courage to speak up when I should
and the wisdom to use words of grace.
Amen
Holy Spirit, living breath of God