Author: Ali, Contributor: Elton Streyle and Noah, Photography and Editing: Ali

Heavenly Father, I come to You in Your Son’s Name to thank You for Your wisdom in including stories in the Bible that deal with human inadequacy and how it makes room for You to display Your glory and strength. The stories of Mary, Gideon, Esther, Moses, and others come to mind. When You called Moses to speak to Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites, he protested in Exodus 4:10, ‘”O my Lord, I am not eloquent…I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” I confess that this is often my response as well. I feel inadequate to fulfill the purposes You have laid out for me, and I tell You all the reasons I can’t do what You have called me to do instead of trusting You.

It is encouraging that for every story of human inadequacy in Your Word, You follow it up with a reminder of Your own adequacy and care for Your people. After Gideon questions how he can defeat the Midianites with his pitiful strength, You reassure Him in Judges 6:16b, “surely I will be with you…” You said a similar thing to Moses in Exodus 4:12. “Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.“

Thank you that You choose to use me in spite of my shortcomings, and for Your promise to be with me in every situation. I do not have to worry about being adequate, because as 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 says, it is “not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” Direct me, like the people in the Bible, to trust that You will give me the strength and skillsets necessary to accomplish whatever You call me to do. Remind me that, as Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.