Is God Building Your Faith?

Moses is remembered as a great leader of his people. His words of faith and encouragement to them still bring us hope today. One thing I think we forget, however, is that Moses didn’t step into his destiny with that faith fully formed.

Something amazing happened between God’s call at the burning bush and the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

We know God used the plagues to demonstrate His sovereignty to Pharaoh. Yet, as is so often the case, He was up to much more. Although Moses was raised with the knowledge of God, he didn’t encounter Him until he was 40. God knew knowledge – and even one life-changing encounter – wouldn’t be enough to transform Moses into the man God needed him to be for the next 40 years.

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s court. As a foreigner in a privileged position, it’s likely he dealt with much persecution. And, of course, he left fleeing a death sentence for murder.

Now God was asking him to return to that place with an attitude of authority that he simply didn’t have. So He used a series of difficult events to begin building Moses’ trust in His character and faithfulness.

God even told Moses this was what He was doing! In Exodus 10:1-2, God tells him to go to Pharaoh so He could perform the miraculous signs “that you may know that I am the LORD.”

Nine times between chapters 7 and 11 in Exodus, God sends Moses to speak a word to Pharaoh. Each time Moses stepped out in faith and did it, God proved His faithfulness by fulfilling the word.

By experiencing the consistent faithfulness and protection of God, Moses becomes the strong and stable leader God and the people needed him to be. He goes from protesting to God, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh?” (6:12) to facing Pharaoh and declaring, “All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave” (11:8).

You, too, have a destiny on your life. And, like Moses, you must have unwavering faith in God to fulfill it. If it feels like the task God has set in front of you is too hard, try looking at it from a new perspective. Maybe He is using it to build your trust in Him.

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