Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, September 25, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Who do you think you are? Such a nasty set of words meant to put someone “in their place” when they have the audacity to take a stand about something important. Such a nasty set of words we tell ourselves when we feel inadequate or undeserving. No matter how they are used, there is a sure retort that will wipe away the arbitrary societal barriers we try to throw up: Who do you think you are? You are a beloved child of God, absolutely equal in every way to every other beloved child of God, deserving of dignity, and capable of feats far in excess of what we think possible.
Moses, a slow-speaking shepherd, would do great acts of God’s power and liberate his entire nation from oppression. Jeremiah, “only a boy,” would speak God’s scathing words to the same nation. Mary, an unwed girl, would carry God’s incarnation in her womb. If they could work with God (and God was with them the whole time) to do what probably felt impossible, then we can work with God to accomplish whatever it is that God is calling us to do, since God is with us the whole time, too.
Don’t believe anyone’s assessment (including your own) of yourself that diminishes you in any way. Who do you think you are? You are God’s.
When have I felt inadequate to a particular task? Did I ask God for help?
![Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10 [4:1-11], Jonah and God’s Mercy](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/6bbb490e-4992-4659-a8be-02d8397d68af/24-11-10.jpg)
