It's a Set Up

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 

Exodus 31:1-6 ESV

When God first told Moses to go to Pharaoh, Moses kept spouting excuses as to why he couldn't do that. "Who am I to do that? Who are you? I have a speech impediment, I can't speak to Pharaoh or the elders." God assured Moses He made the mouth, He would make it work. Even though Moses couldn’t get past his own inefficiencies, God equipped Aaron to go with Moses. (You can read that part of the story in Exodus, chapters 3 - 4.)

So, here we are in chapter 31, and God has laid out all the instructions for making the mobile Tabernacle, and He has commanded many minute details of Moses and Aaron – neither of whom were capable of doing all that He commanded. Moses didn't have the background or ability to create what God had given him to do. So what did God do?  "And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you..."

How many times has God asked us to do something and we say no because we don't know how? "What is God thinking? Doesn't He know my background? Is He setting me up to fail?" No! No! And No!

God in His greatness, in His goodness, in His faithfulness, knows what we can and cannot do. However, He doesn’t leave us in our inabilities. If we are obedient to Him, He gives to us everything we need to carry out His plan and purpose for our lives – be it the ability in us or the ability of those He puts in our lives.

People fail, that's true. People’s plans fail; but God’s plan never fails. The Word assures us God can NOT fail. No matter what you see; no matter what you hear; no matter who is in leadership on the earth. Even when you don't understand it. God is in control. 

He has the plan and He HAS set us up - to succeed! 

Prayer:

Father,
          Too often, we believe our shortcomings and what we see more than we believe Your Word. Forgive us, O God. Forgive us for doubting You and for questioning Your every move. Lord, we surrender our will and our way to Yours. Help us to remember our walk is a walk of faith, and that faith is in You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

God Knows

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."  And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel..."

Acts 9:10-15 NASB

Our text follows the account of Saul's - who later became Paul - Damascus road experience where he was blinded by the light of his encounter with Christ while Saul/Paul was on a mission to imprison every follower of Christ. I find it extremely amusing that he winds up on a street called Straight, that he had to have help to find...

Ananias answers immediately when God calls him, but then starts to argue, giving God all the reasons why he shouldn't do what God has asked. Do You know who this guy is? 
Do You realize what he did to Your saints in Jerusalem?  
Do you know he has the authority... 
Have you checked his credentials? 
Have you done a thorough background check on him?
 ...You're sending me to this guy?"   
And God's immediate response is "Go! I have chosen him..." And he sets Ananias on course to a street called Straight.

We do the same thing today. We want to tell God all the reasons why we can't do something He's called us to DO. God already knows. He's the One who intercepted you on that road with all the twists and bends, and now He's leading you to the one called Straight. 

Go. God knows where.

Prayer:

Father,

        Forgive our finite minds that cannot believe You could use something or someone less than perfect. Make our hearts obedient to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen