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Broken, Stubborn and Unworthy: Responding to God’s Call

I recently read through Exodus and Jonah, one on my read-through the Bible in a year project and another as a study my sister led. Reflecting upon both, I was struck by how much I resonated with Moses and Jonah. When God finally called on Moses to deliver his people out of slavery, he found him as a fugitive shepherd having wandered in the wilderness for 40 years after he had murdered an Egyptian. Moses did not exactly have a stellar past. Moses was also shy and awkward in public speaking (Exodus 4:10-12) and not charismatic in nature. Rather than let Moses get out of the call, God provided a spokesman in the form of his brother Aaron. Moses was a sinful, broken, and stubborn man—imperfect and selfish—but God used him for a big job.

Jonah was similarly stubborn when God called him to go to Nineveh and warn them of their impending destruction. Jonah was unforgiving. He didn’t want the wicked people of Nineveh to have a chance to repent. He tried to outrun God on a boat. So, God put him in the belly of a big fish for a few days. Jonah eventually went to Nineveh.

Both Moses and Jonah resisted God’s call. Moses and Jonah were broken and unworthy to meet the demands of God’s task. Both seemed to accept their call grudgingly. In both cases, God provided the support or know-how they needed to do the job.

I am broken. I am stubborn. I am often unworthy of the callings God has placed in front of me. I know that I have been called to do things that I could not have done on my own. This blog is one. Without a doubt, I was called to put this blog together, but I never could have done it without my sisters. I know that God has called me in the past to do things I did not want to do and that I often did them grudgingly. When my kids were younger, I often parented grudgingly, especially with a sick kiddo in the middle of the night. Recently, I have been called to step out in faith with my career. I’m doing so a bit grudgingly. Much like Moses and Jonah, when things have really mattered, God has always provided me with what was needed to get the job done, despite my own misgivings, inadequacies, and attitudes.

Are you stubbornly resisting God’s call in your life today? How? Why?

Contributed by Liz Hunt

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