Burning Bush Revisited

"Moses said to the Lord, 'Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.'

The Lord said to him, 'Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'" Exodus 4:10-12

A part of a sermon by John Piper, not my original thoughts. 

Often times, we learn about kindness, the gentleness of heart, being considerate and encouraging. We, however, forget that God does not see us the way we see each other. As Moses counts off the ways he is lacking, we as readers might be thinking that he is probably fully capable. He just needs some encouragement and assurance. We might, in this situation, tell Moses, or any other friend who is in distress, that he is simply being humble, fully capable of achieving greatness. "You are a great speaker!" "You are perfect for the job!" "You need to be more confident in yourself."

God, however, does none of this. He rather portrays himself in a strong light. "Who gave human beings their mouths?" "Who makes them deaf or mute?" "Who gives them sight or makes them blind?" God never tells Moses that he can, rather He can. We were never made to be great. We were made to receive great. We are simply called to depend on God.