Radical Transformation

“Moses said to the Lord, “Oh 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,” Exodus 4:10 (NIV).

“Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, for mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people... And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do his people,” Exodus 32: 12, 14 (KJV).

To some, having to speak in public is a fate worse than death. Ask someone to stand up and say a few words and many would rather die than face an audience. Glossophobia plagues many people. Jerry Seinfeld popularized the idea that people would rather be in the coffin than give the eulogy at a funeral. Statistics proved him wrong. If you grapple with glossophobia, you're in good company. Moses suffered from this same malady. When God afforded him the opportunity to fulfill his long awaited dream, Moses balked. He even looked for excuses to pass. When God rejected them Moses played his trump card.

“I have never been eloquent...I am slow of speech and tongue.”

As a young prince of Egypt, Moses tried physical force to achieve his dream. It earned him forty years as a shepherd in the backside of the desert. When it was time for him to act the Lord took a different approach. He bypassed Moses' natural skills and talents and focused on his weaknesses. From Moses' perspective, it was a recipe for disaster.

Between chapters four and thirty-two things changed dramatically. Moses went from a stammering wallflower to a man with the audacity to tell God to repent. His words were authoritative, to-the-point and effectual. God repented!

Something happened during this time frame. I suspect it was directly linked to the Who Moses associated with. Moses spent long periods of time in the Tent of Meeting and God rubbed off on this good ole' boy and transformed him.

When we hang out with God we'll change. No longer afraid of our own shadow we have boldness to approach at His invitation. We fellowship at His throne of grace. Timidity and insecurity gone, we respectfully and reverently come and make our requests. We're empowered to step out in faith. If we miss it we're confident He'll correct us and get us back on track – no fear involved.

We're impacted by those we associate with. Why not spend time with God, the genius Creator and greatest mind of all time? His door is always open. Like Moses, we may discover some long thought dead dreams are resurrected. Packaged differently than we'd originally planned, the new format may initially feel uncomfortable and the temptation to walk or run away strong. Why not learn from Moses and take one step at a time? Keep in direct, passionate fellowship with God. He'll provide all the insights, plans and strategies needed to succeed. In the process we'll be radically transformed – that's what we need the most.

How about you? What dream, vision or promise is so long overdue it appears to be dead? How would you feel if God opened that door but required you to act on your weaknesses and things most feared? What would you need from God to make that kind of leap of faith?

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