Read: Exodus 4:1–17

Excuses! We all make excuses! “I’m thirsty” or “I’m just about finished my book” sound like good excuses for not going to bed yet.

But sometimes we also make excuses to get out of doing things that are good and that we should be doing. You know something is the right thing to do, but you are a bit frightened or scared and so you come up with excuses for not doing it. You really should go and talk to that boy who is all on his own at church, but he might laugh at you when you don’t know what to say, and so you make excuses for not doing it.

Moses also made excuses for not going to Pharaoh when God sent him to do so. He told the Lord that it just wouldn’t work. “Pharaoh just won’t listen to me, Lord.” He also tried the excuse of not being able to talk properly: “Lord, I’m not an eloquent speaker.” And he tried to get the Lord to send someone else instead of him. He didn’t want to do what the Lord called him to do and so came up with many excuses.

But notice how God responded to Moses’ excuses. God showed Moses that he is the almighty God. And if he wants something done, it doesn’t matter how useless Moses is himself or how much he feels that he can’t do it, God will make it happen. God didn’t need Moses to be great in himself, but God was going to work through Moses’ weaknesses. God was going to give Moses everything that he needed to go to Pharaoh.

We also don’t need to be great in ourselves. No, God will use weak people like us to make happen what he wants to happen. So, stop making excuses for not obeying the Lord. Instead trust in God and he will give you everything you need to obey him. He will also help you to go to that boy who is all on his own. Trust God. Stop making excuses and obey his commands.

Reflection with your child:

Why shouldn’t you be making excuses?

Source: Sermon by Rev. W. Bosch