Slide

Have you ever watched a child grapple with fear? I’m not talking about that moment when your older kid jumps out from behind the corner to scare your younger kid and she screams and pretends she knew he was there all along. I’m talking about that fear you see when they are trying something for the first time and they are terrified.

I think of my daughter going down a slide for the first time. I was right next to her. Someone was waiting to catch her at the bottom. She had seen her brothers do it and wanted to do it too, until she got to the top. Her fear was so crippling that no amount of encouragement from me was going to move her. I wanted her to trust me when I told her she could do it and yet the fear in the moment kept her from doing so. Eventually, I got frustrated with her so I gave her a small nudge. She cried, she slid and she made it to the bottom, unharmed and excited to do it again, this time knowing that it was all going to be ok and she really could trust me.

Fear as a Christ-follower often looks a little different than that. We probably aren’t standing at the top of a slide paralyzed to let go and zoom down. But, I’d say the heart of the matter is still the same. Do we trust that God (the one in charge, who loves us and is watching over us) has it all under control and really is working ALL THINGS (even the horrible awful scary things) to our good for His glory? Will He really catch me at the bottom of this slide? Will I really be ok if I let go and do this thing?

In Exodus 3, we saw how God spoke to Moses in the burning bush. He told Moses what he wanted him to do and he promised that He would be with him. God even told Moses his name and exactly how the story was going to play out. However, when it came time to slide (trust God and obey), Moses let his fear hold him in place. 

We see this play out in Exodus 4 verses 1-17 in a conversation between Moses and the Lord (I encourage you to read the passage for yourself when you have time). In these verses, we see 2 fears that are common among believers today.

The first fear we see is in verse 1. Moses asks the Lord, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Moses questioned whether people would believe the call of God on his life. He was afraid of what other people would think.

In verse 10, we see the second fear Moses had to grapple with when he says, “Please Lord, I have never been eloquent-either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant-because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.” Moses questioned his ability to do what God was calling him to do. He was afraid he wasn’t qualified to do the job. 

And God was kind. Instead of leaving him in his fears, God addressed Moses’ fears and took his excuses away.  God gave him 3 miraculous signs that he could perform to make people believe him (Exodus 4:3-9). Then in verses 11-12, God reminded Moses who created him and gave him the ability to speak in the first place (hint: it was God). 

I wonder if that’s why we are hesitant to take our fears to God. Are we afraid that when we take them to the throne of Heaven all our excuses will be stripped away? 

You see, Moses was scared, but there was more to it. Moses didn’t want to accept the calling God had for him. In verse 13, Moses says, “Please, Lord, send someone else.” Fears addressed. Excuses gone. Truth exposed. SEND SOMEONE ELSE.

And in that moment, the Lord was angry with Moses. I think this is the part where God pushed him down the slide. Even in his anger, God knew that this plan was the best plan for Moses’ life and the lives of the Israelites waiting to be delivered, so God gave Moses a helper (his brother Aaron) and sent him off to do the thing he was hesitant to do (v.14-17). Anger and compassion exhibited by a holy God for a holy Purpose. 

What is it you’re scared of today? What is it you are using as an excuse to get out of doing what God has called you to do? Lay it down, friend. Slide down the slide.