I will be with you.

"But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11-12)

So here's what's happening at this point in Exodus: The Israelites have become slaves in Egypt, oppressed by the Pharoah and forced to do manual labor. Enter Moses, an Israelite who escaped slavery as an infant when his mother put him in a basket in the river and the Pharoah's daughter found him, and who is wanted for the murder of an Egyptian. Moses is walking along, tending a flock of sheep, when suddenly a bush bursts into flames, and God appears to him from within the burning bush. Moses is afraid and hides his face; meanwhile, God begins to tell him about how He's seen the suffering of the Israelites and has come to rescue them. Then, in verse 10, God pretty much says, "I'm sending you to talk to Pharoah and rescue the Israelites. Okay? Ready-set-go!"

Moses is shocked. I can just picture him going, "Time out, God! Me?! You do know who you're talking to, right?" Later on in Exodus 6:30, Moses says, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharoah listen to me?" So this gives me the impression that Moses is something of an "awkward child." He says multiple times in this section of Exodus that he doesn't speak well; if Moses were alive today, he'd probably be the kind of person who never talked in high school and practically fainted with fear every time he had to speak in front of the class. Simply put, Moses is a nobody! He's thinking to himself, Why would God invest the entire future of the Israelites in someone so completely inadequate? Moses says to God, "How could I possibly do this?"

God's answer is, simply, "I will be with you" (verse 12). God doesn't lie to Moses and tell him that he's capable of doing it on his own. All He says is, "I will be with you. I will help you."

The fact of the matter is, with the Creator on our side, nothing is impossible. No matter who you are, no matter how far from perfect you are, and no matter how big the mountain is, with His strength you can move it. He walks with us in every step we take; His hand is always on us, protecting us and holding us steady. He will never abandon us, and He will never forget us. So the next time you question whether you are capable of doing something, just remember where your strength comes from.

As I'm writing this, I can't help but think of how this story became personal for me last night. Last night, the Lord proved himself so superlatively faithful, and He poured on so many blessings all at once, and it was just... wow. By His strength, I was able to be honest with someone about something I thought I'd never be able to say. Just like He did with Moses, He helped me speak and gave me the courage to be honest. I have no idea what will happen as a result of my honesty, but you know what? I can trust Him. Even if I'm not competent enough to make things better with this person, I know that God is competent; and He has a plan for both our lives.

See also: Exodus 4:10-12