Issue #51, March 9, 2011
After 40 years tending sheep in the desert God calls Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. God uses a burning bush to get Moses’ attention. The dramatic experience recorded in Exodus 3:1-4:31 provides a framework for God’s call to all servant leaders.
God calls those He has prepared.
God’s call to Moses came after 40 years of shaping in the wilderness. Moses’ first attempts at leadership revealed that he had much to learn. After 40 years of desert training, Moses was prepared for action. He had been humbled and learned the discipline of hard work. His excellent academic training was now balanced with on-the-job experience. Moses was prepared for the call.
God calls those who are active.
God called Moses while he was on the job. He was busy with his daily duties, faithfully working as a shepherd, and meeting the needs of his family. In this position God calls him. Some leaders sit around waiting for their big opportunity to appear but God delights in using people who are already being faithful at what they are doing.
God calls leaders first to Himself.
Servant leadership begins with a personal relationship with God. God was seeking Moses’ attention through the burning bush and responded quickly when Moses turned toward Him. This initial encounter marked the beginning of a face to face relationship with God which would mark Moses’ leadership. While we may not experience a burning bush, any leadership that does not flow out of the foundation of an encounter with God is not servant leadership. Jesus called His disciples to be with Him before He sent them out to preach. (Mark 3:14) God desires relationship more than service and invites all of us into His presence. In His presence we understand His love and the work to which He has called us. This is truly a close call.
God’s call meets a human need.
God’s call to Moses clearly was in response to the plight of His people who were suffering in Egypt. God always calls servant leaders to fulfill a part of His plan for the world, meeting the needs of His people. Whether you serve in church leadership, in your profession or in a business, God’s call upon your life is not just to supply your needs, it is to meet a specific need in His world. Reflect for a moment on how your leadership meets the needs of those around you.
God’s call provokes a sense of inadequacy.
As Moses began to understand the extent of God’s call he responds with a deep sense of inadequacy. “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) Moses is so broken after 40 years in the desert that he almost sees himself as incapable of leading. Yet, in this condition of self doubt, Moses was more ready than earlier when he was confident in his own strength. Servant leaders learn to rely on God’s strength to carry out the mission. Their confidence comes not from their own abilities but from the relationship they have with the One who calls them close. From this call flows the courageous leadership we’ll examine in the next issue.
The background reading for this issue is: Exodus 3:1-4:31.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Are you confident of God’s call on your leadership role? If so, reflect on how this impacts your leadership. If not, what do you need to do to confirm His direction for your leadership?
- Do you see your leadership primarily as a call to a relationship with Jesus, or as a call to act? What difference does it make in the way you lead?
- Do you feel humanly adequate for what God has called you to do? How does Moses’ encounter with God help you?
- Do you find it easy to lead from your own strengths instead of relying on God’s provision and direction? What does Moses’ life teach you?