Today I want to consider for a few moments, the passage Numbers 20:11 “And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.” God had given Moses the instruction to speak to the rock in verse 8, and instead Moses full of anger said: “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”
Moses struck the rock in anger, but because of His love for the people God chose to use him to bring life and sustenance to the people. Moses was his chosen instrument to bring deliverance to the nation of Israel. Moses was angry, he disobeyed God’s instructions, took matters into his own hands and yet God chose to use him anyway.
Earlier in Exodus 17:6 God had instructed Moses to strike the rock. Moses may have thought that it was appropriate to do what God had asked him to do before. It may have been an honest mistake, but I believe it goes deeper than that. Moses here was stepping into the place of God and taking matters into his own hands.
Some theologians say that the mother of all sins is the failure to let God be God. Moses committed that sin and yet God chose to use him anyway. God uses imperfect people to fulfill His plans and purposes. God wasn’t happy with him, yet he chose to use him. Moses missed out on the promised land, he missed an opportunity to obey God, he missed an opportunity to use the power of his tongue and speak life.
Millions of people were able to drink life sustaining water, because God in His compassion moved through an imperfect vessel to help them. I remember a Pastor friend telling me the story of how he came to Christ. He said many years ago, a young man came up to him on the street, pulled out a tract and asked if he could read it to him.
The young man stumbled his way through the words and to his amazement at the end my Pastor friend agreed to pray the prayer of salvation. Then the young man left him there on his own to tell all his friends what had happened. No discipleship! God used this young man to bring the life sustaining water of the gospel to my Pastor friend, even though he wasn’t perfect and today my Pastor friend has planted three thriving Churches!
Today I want to encourage you, you don’t have to be perfect for God to use you. God will take any humble, repentant believer and use them for His glory; if they are willing and available. The Gospel needs to go out into all the world, and today God wants to use you and me. Don’t allow the enemy to whisper in your ear that you are not perfect or that God can’t use you. The truth is that none of us are perfect, we place our complete faith and trust in Jesus, the Perfect One, who died in our place. Be encouraged today, God will use you anyway!
