THE RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 19 June 1937, Page 13

THE RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK

(Contributed) THE QUIET HOUR OF MEDITATION AND PRAYER The story of the call of Moses given to us in Exodus 4,5, gives an intimate picture of a great man hesitating to take the final step which leads to duty. He is in no doubt as to what he should do—God has made his course quite clear—but he is in doubt as to whether he is the right man to do it. He has seen the vision, but he hesitates to take the first step to transform the vision into reality. There come similar moments in all our lives. Some great work lies to our hand. We have heard the call, but we hesitate to answer it. We know our duty, but we are afraid to take the first step to perform it. In these chapters we discover how like our problems are to those of Moses. “Who am I that I should go?” The immensity of the task staggered him. He was after all but a country herdsman, and a fugitive from justice. Who was he that he should go to Pharaoh and face his might? What man indeed was sufficient for these things? To all of us such questions are familiar. We, too, feel quite unfitted for the great tasks set before us, and shrink from them. Indeed greater men than we have been afraid to answer their call. Luther when urged to preach by his Superior, cried, “No, no! It is not a little thing to speak before men in the place of God.” A famous physician, at the beginning of his career, shrank from an appoint-' ment. "You feel yourself unfit for it ” said his professor; “then you are just the man for it.” The longer we meditate upon difficulties, the larger they loom. Simonides was once asked by the tyrant Hiero what were the nature and the attributes of God. The philosopher begged for a day in which to consider the question. Many days went by and Hiero, losing patience, demanded the reason for the delay. Simonides replied, “The more I meditate, the vaster does the problem appear.” That is true of all of us. Hesitancy in action makes even more effective our feeling of insufficiency. Our strength is not sufficient for us.

Listen to the voice of God to Moses: “I will be with thee.” The prophet was facing the realities of life when he saw his own inadequacy. He had no such feeling in his youth. Then he was quite sure of his ability to free the enslaved Israelites, and God turned him from the task. Now he feels unequal, to it, and God commands him to do it. Moses had learned that man was always weak in his own strength: he was to learn that “with God all things are possible.” Like him we learn from our own insufficiency our need of dependence upon God, and, having learned that, with dependence upon the power that God gives, we can say with Paul, “I can do all things through Chnst who strengthens me.”

“They will not believe me?” Here was another problem to be faced. Supposing he went—what then? With all the courage in the world, we can do nothing if people will not accept our message. Moses had a twofold problem. He had to persuade the Israelites to follow his lead, and he had to persuade Pharaoh to accept his demands. The prospect could hardly be more discouraging. On the one hand, the Israelites, through many generations of slavery had become accustomed to being dominated, on the other hand it seemed unlikely that he would make much impression on the despotic Pharaoh. He might well fear the result. Even Jesus could not do any mighty works in some cities “because of their unbelief.” How then can we ordinary people, who have not even the personality of Moses, how can we expect to make our impact on a difficult situation? God’s reply to Moses is again significant. In parable He tells Moses that here, too, He will help him. He will not face this problem alone. “With men some things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Temporary defeats will surely come. The people will doubt, and a Pharaoh will harden his heart; but a persevering faith will overcome. The Israelites did ultimately break the bonds of their slavery, and Pharaoh did let them go. Our Lord was rejected by the world, but His very defeat, His death, gave his ultimate victory. So let us go on in faith. Difficulties will come and seeming defeats hinder us, but ultimately we will be able to cry, “We are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us.”

“I am not eloquent” In other words, “It is not courage or faith that I lack, it is ability!” I am not afraid to face the foe, I am sure that it can be overcome, but the task needs abilities that I do not possess. Even so go on and do it! God will not give us a task too great for our powers. Moody was once told by a critic that he shouldn’t speak in public because he had no grammar. He turned on the critic and said, “I am doing the best I can with all the grammar I’ve got.” We may not have enough ability, but we can consecrate the little that is ours, and, having done so, we will hear God say to us, as he said to Moses, “Now go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.” With that knowledge we will be able to say as Lincoln said, “Whatever shall appear to be God’s will, I will do it.”

Grant, O Lord, we pray Thee, that as we seek for truth we may find that the search leads us to Thyself. Give us courage to seek honestly and reverence to seek humbly, and when our minds are perplexed and we cannot find Thee, give us patience to go on with our daily duties, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.