Acts 7:23-25  “One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.” (NLT)

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“Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.”

It is possible to be the smartest person in the room and have nobody care. They may not listen to anything you have to say.

It is possible to have extensive experience and yet have no one ask for your opinion or expertise.

It is possible to be the most capable leader with the best track record, and have no one seek your guidance. 

If you are the smartest person in the room with the most experience and you are a better-than-average leader, it’s better to wait until someone asks for your wisdom than to force it upon them. 

Moses tried to do the right thing the wrong way. He assumed everyone would recognize his capabilities, dynamism, and superiority as a leader. “But they didn’t.”

Young Moses, at least compared to his age the next time we see him, was everything he thought a leader needed to be to become a revolutionary hero. Instead, his native people thought he was nothing more than a bully and a murderer. 

It’s hard to lead a revolution if no one trusts you.

It’s impossible to start a movement if you’re the only one pointed in the right direction.

It’s hard to convince everyone you are God’s answer to their prayers when you behave in a manner contrary to God’s nature and character. 

Moses’ fists were not sufficient for the fight to come. 

The battle against the Egyptian gods had to be fought with God’s power, not Moses’ impressive strengths. Moses was much more powerful as an eighty-year-old than as a forty-year-old. Why? Read Exodus 3 and 4. 

When Moses met God in the burning bush, he confessed all of his weaknesses. He knew precisely why he could not lead a revolution. This is good leadership.

When we acknowledge our limited strengths and the overwhelming power of our opposition, we are finally in the place where God can display His grace, might, and glory. 

Are you the smartest person in the room? God’s smarter.

Do you have a lifetime of experience others need? God has more.

Are you a more-than-capable leader? God’s better. 

Does your sore neck and aching back require you to walk with a cane, a walker, or, like Moses, a staff? Good! You are in perfect condition for God to do what only he can take credit for.

Do God’s will in God’s way in God’s timing. This is how you get God’s results. This is how people learn to trust you, listen to you, and follow your lead. 

Select your walking stick carefully. It tells a story of what God has been up to in your life and what only he can do next. Ask Jacob. He led with a limp. But that’s another story for another day.

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I will do God’s will in God’s way in God’s timing.

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Our Father, I’m not all that and a bag of chips. My strengths are more limited day by day. Everything that used to work so very well is wearing out. Thank you for getting me to this place. Now, anything you do through me will demonstrate your goodness and grace, and not me and my impressive pace. People will give you glory for how you use me to tell your story. The Apostle Paul is right: When I am weak, then I am strong. Amen.