Who Am I? God Uses the Unlikely

The Old Testament introduces the creator of the universe, the liberator of all bondage, and yes, it can simply be said that it is about Jesus. Exodus brings Moses back to Mount Sinai, barefoot before a bush that burns but is not consumed, hearing God say that the cry of Israel has reached him. God sees the oppression, names the bondage, and sends Moses to Pharaoh to bring God’s people out of Egypt so that they may worship on that same mountain.

Moses answers God with the question that sits underneath so many excuses: “Who am I?” The question is not only humility. The question can become self-focus, because Moses looks into himself for the answer instead of looking to the God who is calling him. The phrase “I can’t” needs a better question: “Who can help me?” Faith in the Father is not believing that God will always do what a person wants, but believing in God and in what he is asking.

Moses’ own life seems to give him plenty of reasons to step back. Moses is an Israelite born under a death sentence, raised in Pharaoh’s house, guilty of murder, a fugitive, a shepherd in the wilderness for forty years, and now eighty years old. The list looks disqualifying when it is measured by human standards. God’s answer, though, is not a pep talk. God does not say, “Come on, Moses. You can do it.” God says something much better: “I will be with you.”

The promise is not that every step will be easy. The promise is that God will be present and that his purpose will be completed. The sign comes after obedience, when Moses and Israel will worship on the mountain. God places his own reputation on Moses, and God will not break his promises.

Moses saw failure, age, distance, and low status. God saw preparation. Moses’ time in Pharaoh’s court was not wasted. His wilderness years were not wasted. His shepherding taught him to guide wanderers, protect the weak, care for the lost, and endure complaints. The wilderness is not always punishment. God does not waste a surrendered experience.

The same pattern runs through Noah, Joseph, David, Hannah, Mary, and finally Jesus. God uses what looks weak, late, foolish, or hidden. The building next door to Volunteers of America shows the same mercy, as God provides not just property, but opportunity, freedom, and second chances. Excuses can become prisons when they are held tightly, but surrendered excuses can become the place where God uses a life. God’s people may have weaknesses, failures, victories, and limits, but Christ is enough. He is still the “I am,” present in the wilderness and faithful to bring his people to worship.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God answers with his presence Moses asks, “Who am I?” but God does not build the answer around Moses’ resume. God gives the deeper answer, “I will be with you,” which means the calling rests on God’s presence rather than human capacity. A person’s weakness is real, but it is not ultimate when God binds his name to the work. [37:18]
• 2. The wilderness is not wasted Moses spent forty years in obscurity, but those years taught him how to guide, protect, care, and endure. Wilderness seasons may feel like delay, punishment, or dead space, yet surrendered suffering can become preparation. God often trains servants in places that look like exile before using them in places of deliverance. [42:03]
• 3. Excuses can become prisons The “who am I” question can sound humble while quietly refusing obedience. Past failure, age, money, family history, or lack of experience can become chains when they are guarded as final answers. Surrender does not erase every limitation, but it opens the door for God to use even the limited places. [47:58]
• 4. Christ is enough for confidence Moses heard God reveal himself as “I am,” and Jesus later declared, “Before Abraham, I am.” Christian confidence cannot rest in being enough, because human strength eventually runs out. The ground of obedience is that Christ is enough, and he has promised not to leave his people in the wilderness.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [24:24] - The Old Testament Points to Jesus
• [25:07] - Greeting, Family, and Prayer
• [27:35] - From “I Can’t” to “Who Can Help Me?”
• [28:57] - Moses at the Burning Bush
• [30:11] - Moses Asks, “Who Am I?”
• [35:06] - Moses’ Disqualifying Resume
• [37:18] - God Gives a Better Answer
• [39:29] - God Uses Unlikely People
• [40:35] - Moses’ Past Becomes Preparation
• [42:03] - Wilderness Seasons Can Grow Faith
• [43:23] - Vern Lundquist and Sunday School
• [45:11] - A Building, a Halfway House, and Provision
• [47:03] - Excuses That Hold People Prisoner
• [48:52] - God’s Promises Find Their Yes in Christ
• [50:53] - Mike and Casey Get a Second Chance

Bible Reading

Exodus 3:9-12
“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. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.’” [29:39]

John 16:33
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [49:19]

Genesis 15:13-14
“Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.’”

Observation questions

1. In Exodus 3:9-12, what does God say he has seen and heard, and what exactly does he send Moses to do?
2. What answer does Moses give when God calls him, and how does God answer that question? [30:11]
3. What details in Moses’ life could have made him feel unqualified for this calling? [35:06]
4. What are some ways Moses’ years in the wilderness and his work as a shepherd prepared him for what was ahead? [40:35]

Interpretation questions

1. God does not answer Moses by praising Moses’ ability, but by promising, “I will be with you.” What does that show about how God usually strengthens people for hard callings? [37:18]
2. The sign God gives Moses comes after obedience: Israel will worship on that mountain later. Why might God give a sign that is fulfilled in the future instead of removing every doubt in the moment?
3. Genesis 15:13-14 shows that God had already promised Abraham that Israel would come out of slavery. How does that shape the way Moses’ mission should be understood? [48:52]
4. Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” How does that help explain the difference between God’s presence and an easy life? [49:19]

Application questions

1. When “Who am I?” rises in the heart, it can sound humble while still keeping the focus on self. Where has that question been showing up lately—in family life, work, ministry, or some area of obedience—and what might it look like to ask instead, “Who can help me?” [27:35]
2. Excuses can become prisons when they are held too tightly. Which excuse feels most believable right now: past failure, age, lack of money, family history, inexperience, or something else? What would it mean to surrender that excuse rather than defend it? [47:03]
3. The wilderness is not always wasted. Is there a difficult or hidden season that still feels like lost time? How might God be using that season to grow patience, humility, endurance, or care for others? [42:03]
4. Moses saw disqualifications, but God saw preparation. Looking back, is there something in the past that once felt useless or shameful but now seems like part of God’s preparation? [41:33]
5. God’s promise to be with his people does not mean every step will be easy. Where does someone in the group need to stop waiting for life to become easier before taking the next faithful step? [39:11]
6. Christ is enough, and Christian confidence rests in him rather than in personal strength. In a practical sense, what would change this week if confidence rested more in Christ’s sufficiency than in personal readiness? [50:19]
7. God often provides more than first appears—sometimes not just a solution, but an opportunity to serve others. Is there a place, relationship, or responsibility nearby that may look ordinary, but could actually be an opening for mercy, second chances, or faithful service? [45:11]