The Least-Likely Servant

by Macy Johnson

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I,

that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’”

(Exodus 3:11 NIV)

“Not me, Lord! Surely someone else is better suited.” Have you ever uttered those words? If so, you’re in good company.

Moses was rescued from certain death, adopted as a son in Egypt’s royal family, and called by God to lead His people out of slavery. He had a lot on his plate, including a silver spoon. When Moses tried to fulfill God’s calling his own way, murderous actions forced a desert escape. Forty years later, Moses, well past his prime, was again called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. “I’m not qualified! I’m a failure,” he argued.

Wait a minute! What other Hebrew had been miraculously raised in an imperial palace since infancy? Which Israelite knew the accepted protocols, people and culture better than Moses? Who better knew how to lead a horde of broken people through the desert than a humbled shepherd who had toiled there forty years?

The Hebrews, although expert brick-makers, had only negative experiences with a demanding Pharaoh. “Get us out of here!” they cried.

On the surface, Moses appeared to be the least-likely selection for this task, plagued with a speech impediment and absent for four decades. In God’s reality, he was the perfect choice, the only choice! Moses, in life-long training, finally realized how foolish it is to argue with the Creator of the Universe. He accepted the challenge.

Like Moses, the least-likely servant, I will follow God into the unknown today. I hope you will, too!