God Calls the Unqualified: Use What You Have

Devotional

Day 1: God Meets You in the Desert of Disqualification

Moses fled to Midian after failure, convinced his past disqualified him from purpose. Yet God appeared not in palaces or success, but in the barren wilderness where Moses tended another’s sheep. The burning bush erupted in his ordinary day, proving God’s call isn’t limited by geography, status, or self-imposed exile. Holiness meets us not when we’ve “arrived,” but where we’ve settled for less. Your desert—whether shame, stagnation, or shattered dreams—is where God ignites new purpose. [01:06:26]

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” (Exodus 3:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you believed your failures or current circumstances disqualify you from God’s purpose? How might He be speaking to you precisely there?

Day 2: Faithfulness in the Field Before the Fire

Forty years of shepherding another man’s flock prepared Moses for leading a nation. Daily obedience—protecting wayward sheep, enduring dust storms, showing up when no one applauded—forged the resilience he’d need against Pharaoh. God trains leaders not in spotlight moments, but in unseen seasons of steadfastness. Your “field” of mundane work, family care, or quiet service is the proving ground for greater fires. [01:11:45]

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary responsibility feels insignificant? How might faithfulness here prepare you for what God wants to ignite next?

Day 3: Your Excuses Have Already Been Answered

Moses listed five excuses; God countered each with “I AM.” Every “I can’t” was met with divine “I will.” Our limitations aren’t obstacles to God—they’re invitations for His power. The One who formed mouths knows how to speak through stutterers. The God who parts seas can multiply your “not enough.” Your inadequacy is the blank page where He writes miracles. [01:12:38]

The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (Exodus 4:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: What excuse have you repeated to God? How does His response in this passage redefine your readiness?

Day 4: The Miracle in Your Hand is a Stick

A shepherd’s staff—used for prodding sheep and steadying steps—became the rod that split seas. God doesn’t demand resources you lack; He consecrates what you’ve already been given. That skill, experience, or seemingly ordinary tool in your grip holds supernatural potential when surrendered. Don’t dismiss your “stick.” Worship makes ordinary things holy ground. [01:16:18]

The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. (Exodus 4:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: What “ordinary” resource, skill, or experience has God placed in your hand? How could surrendering it lead to unexpected purpose?

Day 5: The God Who Sees, Hears, and Sends

God didn’t just observe Israel’s suffering—He mobilized. Divine compassion always moves toward action, often through human hands. Your awareness of brokenness isn’t meant to paralyze you, but to propel you. The same God who saw slaves in Egypt sees your neighbor, coworker, or the marginalized. He still sends burned-but-not-consumed people to carry His deliverance. [01:18:50]

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: What injustice or need has God made you aware of? How will you respond to being both “seen” and “sent”?

Sermon Summary

Moses stands in the desert looking after somebody else’s sheep, far from the life he may have imagined. Moses had been raised in Pharaoh’s house, had committed murder, had run away, and may well have written himself off. Yet God meets him there. The burning bush declares that no place of failure, hiding, routine, or disappointment puts somebody beyond God’s reach.

God tells Moses that He has seen the misery of His people, heard their cries, and cares about their suffering. God could have dealt with Egypt any way He wanted, but God calls a man. God’s answer to suffering is not distant concern. God sends Moses to Pharaoh so that His people can be brought out. The cry of the oppressed reaches God, and God stirs surrendered people to become part of what He is doing.

Moses shows that God often calls people who are on the bench and do not feel ready. Moses had spent forty years faithfully tending sheep in the wilderness. That ordinary faithfulness mattered. God sees the teacher teaching well, the accountant working honestly, the mechanic doing good work, and the business owner running things above board. Faithfulness where God has placed somebody is never wasted.

Moses brings excuse after excuse: “Who am I?” “What will I say?” “What if they do not listen?” “I cannot speak properly.” God already has an answer for every one of them: “I will be with you.” God does not call the qualified. He qualifies those He has called. Excuses about not knowing enough, not having enough, waiting for the right season, or needing life to be more settled cannot surprise the God who knows everything.

God finally asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?” Moses has a stick, a staff, nothing impressive for confronting Pharaoh or leading a nation. Yet God takes that simple stick and uses it for miracles, for water from the rock, and for the parting of the sea. God asks for what is already in somebody’s hand, surrendered to Him.

The burning bush also calls for a response. Moses stops, turns aside, and comes closer. God is lighting bushes on fire around lives, cities, and nations, and open eyes and ears are needed to see what He is doing. God sees, hears, and cares; surrendered hearts learn to see, hear, care, and go.

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Key Takeaways

1. God meets people right there. Moses did not find God after cleaning up his past or escaping the wilderness. God found Moses in the very place where his life seemed reduced to somebody else’s sheep. Failure may shape a person’s story, but it does not get the final word over God’s call. [66:14]
2. Faithfulness matters before the calling. Moses spent forty years doing ordinary work in an ordinary place before he stood before Pharaoh. God sees quiet faithfulness when nobody else sees it. The work in somebody’s hand today may be preparation for a door God opens tomorrow. [70:37]
3. God has answered every excuse. Moses kept naming reasons he could not go, but God kept naming His own presence and provision. The issue is not whether somebody feels qualified enough, but whether God has called. A life can stay stuck for years by waiting to become the person God already intends to form through obedience. [72:58]
4. Surrender what is in your hand. Moses carried a stick, not a weapon, an army, or a polished plan. God used the ordinary staff because it was placed under His authority. What looks too small in human hands can become the place where God shows His power. [77:27]
5. God sees, hears, cares, and sends. God’s compassion for suffering is active, personal, and costly. God hears the cry of His people and calls men and women to step into the need around them. A surrendered heart does not merely notice pain; it asks God how it should respond.

## [78:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[61:23] - A Role for Every Person
[63:28] - Moses in the Desert
[66:14] - God Meets Moses There
[67:31] - The God Who Sees and Hears
[69:14] - Faithful While on the Bench
[71:45] - Get Over the Excuses
[75:43] - What Is in Your Hand?
[78:34] - God Calls People to Respond
[80:07] - Stop and See the Burning Bush
[81:15] - Here I Am, Send Me

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 3:1-10
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [01:03:21]

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” [01:06:03]

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. [01:07:31]

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. [01:08:03]

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. [01:19:10]

Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” [01:19:22]

Exodus 4:2
The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” [01:16:13]

Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” [01:22:00]

Observation questions

What details in Exodus 3:1 show where Moses was and what he was doing before God spoke to him? [01:03:28]
What did Moses do when he noticed that the bush was burning but not being consumed, and what happened after he turned aside? [01:07:20]
In Exodus 3:7-10, what words does God use to describe His response to Israel’s suffering, and what mission does He give Moses? [01:08:03]
What excuses or concerns did Moses raise about going to Pharaoh, and what kinds of answers did God give him? [01:13:08]

Interpretation questions

Moses had a past marked by failure, fear, and running away, yet God met him in Midian. What does this show about the difference between disqualifying oneself and God’s ability to call and restore a person? [01:06:29]
Why might God choose to send Moses to Pharaoh after saying that He had seen, heard, and cared about His people’s suffering? What does this reveal about how God often works through surrendered people? [01:18:43]
Moses had spent many years tending sheep before being sent to lead Israel. How could ordinary work, integrity, and faithful service prepare someone for opportunities that are not yet visible? [01:10:37]
God did not first give Moses an army or a polished plan; He asked what was already in his hand. What does the staff teach about God’s power and a person’s willingness to surrender ordinary gifts to Him? [01:17:17]

Application questions

Moses was serving in a place that may not have looked like the life he expected. Is there an area of life where disappointment, delay, failure, or routine has made you feel overlooked by God? What might it look like to believe that God meets you there? [01:06:46]
What is the ordinary responsibility already in your hands—work, studies, parenting, friendships, serving, or caring for others? What would faithfulness and integrity look like in that specific place this week? [01:11:09]
Which excuse most often holds you back from responding to God: not knowing enough, lacking resources, feeling unqualified, waiting for a better season, or fear of what others will think? What is one next step of obedience that could be taken before everything feels settled? [01:14:01]
What “staff” has God already placed in your hand—an ability, experience, relationship, practical resource, time, or opportunity—that may seem small to you? How could you place it under God’s authority and use it to serve someone? [01:18:14]
God sees suffering, hears cries, and cares. What need in your neighbourhood, workplace, family, city, or the wider world has been difficult to ignore lately? How might God be inviting you to move from simply noticing that need to responding in a practical way? [01:19:34]
Moses stopped and turned aside to see what God was doing. What distractions, busyness, fears, or routines make it hard for you to stop and listen to God? What could help you make space this week to pay attention and respond? [01:20:23]
Isaiah’s response was, “Here I am! Send me.” Is there a situation where you sense God may be asking for a willing response rather than a complete plan? What would a sincere “Here I am” look like in that situation? [01:21:51]

Sermon Clips

43s

#NoMoreExcuses

“get over your excuses. Honestly, whatever excuse you have come up with and whatever reason you've come up with that God can't use you, I wanna say to you this morning, get over it. Move on. God does not call the qualified. He qualifies those that he's called. He doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies those that he has called. Look at look at Moses. Moses was like, Lord, whom I? Whom I that I must go to Pharaoh? Like, there's surely another big shot. I mean, I'm just a guy looking after somebody else's sheep in the desert.”

26s

#SurrenderTheStick

“I wanna say to you, take that stick, surrender it to God, and watch him do what you can't do. Watch him do some miracles through that. And Moses didn't know that it was that very stick that what God was gonna use to part the Red Sea. It was a very stick that Moses was gonna strike a rock and water was gonna come out.”

40s

#GodSeesHearsCares

“So as I as I close this morning, why all of this? What is what is the point? Why would God wanna use you and me? Because we have a God. We serve a God who sees, who hears, and who cares. We serve a God who sees. He sees what's going on in the world, and he hears the cry of his people, and he cares about that. But what does he do? He calls a man to do something about it. He calls you and I to do something about it.”

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