Now Moses … led his flock … and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire … The bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. … God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, … “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people … I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them … Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you ….” Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. … This is My Name forever.”
(Exodus 3:1-2, 4b-5a, 6b-8a, 10-12a, 13-14a, 15b ESV)
Poor Moses! There he is, having a peaceful day out with the sheep, when suddenly God turns up to give him a mission. Long ago Moses had dreamed of helping his people, who were slaves in Egypt—but that dream died when he killed a man and had to run for his life. Since then, Moses has had 40 years to realize he’s not a savior. He’s just a shepherd.
But now God says, “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” No wonder Moses says, “Who am I that I should do such a thing?”
And God answers him by saying, “But I will be with you.” God will be the Savior. He will do all the heavy work of saving these people. Moses only has to go where he’s told and say what he’s supposed to say.
This is true for us, too, isn’t it? On our own, we are nothing—ordinary people, flawed and broken, people who can’t save themselves, much less anyone else. God knows that. But God Himself has become our Savior in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has come into our world to rescue us from slavery to sin, death, and the devil—and He has done it through His own suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus did the heavy work.
And now Jesus says to us, “Go where I send you and say what I tell you.” Or in other words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
We Pray: Lord, I have no power, but You can do anything. Use me, and help me to trust You to do the work. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on November 4, 2025
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. When have you tried to do something that was too much for you? How did it go?
2. Why do you think God delights in using weak people to carry out His plans?
3. What has Jesus done that no one else could do?