Issue #208, May 31, 2017
The first question Moses asked God was a question of his own identity. He needed to know who he was as a leader. We saw in the last issue that God answered Moses’ question, “Who am I?” with “I am with you” (Exodus 3:12). For servant leaders, the key to personal identity comes from knowing who God is. So Moses moved on to a second question all servant leaders must ask, “Who are you?” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“… Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers– the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob– appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt…The elders of Israel will listen to you.(Exodus 3:13-18, portions).
Moses’ second question shifts the focus from personal identity to God’s identity, “Who are you?” This is a question of his relationship to God; it’s a question of intimacy. Before servant leaders can be effective in their leadership they need to settle the question of how their relationship with God will impact their leadership. The identity of a servant leader flows out of an intimate relationship with Jesus. This intimacy provides for them the courage, clarity, and certainty that God gave to Moses.
Intimacy provides courage.
Moses was afraid that people would not listen to him. After all, he was just a shepherd from the desert. But now he was claiming to be sent by God Himself. He was to say, “I AM has sent me to you.” Moses was not courageous on his own, but when he began to lead out of intimacy with God he gained courage. Servant leaders do not manufacture courage on their own, they rely on their relationship with God to give them courage. They are not courageous because they have ability, training or knowledge but because they have a relationship with God. Their courage flows out of their intimacy with God.
Intimacy provides clarity.
Moses was not very clear about what he would say to people. He was confused about who he was. He didn’t know how he would answer the questions that were sure to come. But God instructs Moses, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.”
Moses was focused on who he was; God called him to focus on who God was. This clarified the mission.
Moses was not to lead on his own mission. His relationship with God provided clarity that the focus was on God. Servant leaders are clear on their mission; it is not their own, it is a mission from God. If you are leading on your own mission, you are on your own. But as you lead from intimacy it becomes clear that it is not about you; it is about the one who calls you and walks with you on your leadership journey. Servant leaders clarify that the mission is not the focus; the person who calls them is the focus.
Intimacy provides certainty.
Moses questions whether people will even listen to him. He was not convinced that he would be able to accomplish what God called him to do. But God responds, “The elders of Israel will listen to you.” If Moses would base his leadership on his intimacy with God, he could be fully certain that he would accomplish the mission. This confidence would come as he focused on his relationship with God, not on himself. Leaders who lead out of self-confidence cannot be certain of success. But servant leaders who lead out of an intimate relationship with Jesus lead with certainty that God will grant them favor with those they lead. They are certain that the One who calls them will go before them. Their confidence in leadership flows out of their relationship with God.
God shifts Moses’ focus from his own identity to who God is. He calls Moses to focus on the “I AM” who was the chief leader. As Moses learned to rest in this relationship, his ability to lead increased dramatically. All servant leaders can strengthen their leadership by strengthening their intimacy with Jesus.
For further reflection and discussion:
- In my leadership do I focus primarily on my own identity or intimacy with Jesus?
- In what ways does my leadership flow out of intimacy with Jesus? What blocks that relationship?
- What actions can I take to strengthen my intimacy with Jesus?
- Does my leadership display courage? Is this courage flowing out of my own ambition or does it flow out of a conviction that I am doing what God has called me to do?
- Is my mission as a leader clearly about God’s call or is it more about my own plan? How would greater intimacy with Jesus clarify the mission?
- On what do I base my expectation of success, my own ability or God’s call?