Feb 20 2008
Preparing for Tomorrow
All too often, I find myself asking, “What is the Lord’s plan for me. What path does He want me on and how will I get there.” I don’t know the answer to those questions as I feel His plan has not been revealed to me, but I do feel as though we are prepared in advance so that we are ready when His time is right – not ours.
During my early years of college, public speaking was something I enjoyed and looked forward to. As time went on, it became something I feared. I’m not sure when or how I made the change from one extreme to the other, but it happened. Now, I’m too young and have too much in front of me to fear public speaking. It’s something I do often and something I know I will do more and more as time goes on. So how do I get over a fear that is holding me back and keeping me from being my all? I face it head on and that’s exactly what I have done and what I plan to continue doing.
The other day I received a call from the National Association of Home Builders requesting me to speak at the International Builders Show in Orlando on February 14th. At first, the fear of public speaking tried to drive my answer to a “No, I can’t do it”, but I recognized this internal attack early on and was able to accept the invitation. I was nervous about the seminar the week leading up to it, but then something amazing happened.
The support and encouragement started with my wonderful wife, Sheena, but it didn’t end there. After reading Exodus 4:10 that night, it was as though I was echoing the same words Moses did 3,400 years ago (give or take a few). Moses was chosen to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and in order to do so, he must get permission from Pharaoh. Getting permission meant speaking. When the Lord told Moses what He wanted him to do, Moses was anything but happy. It was as though Moses was saying, “Lord, hold up! You’ve got the wrong guy.”
Moses response to the Lord’s request was where I found myself earlier that day. “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
This is the part that hit me like a sack of bricks and made me realize this opportunity was part of His plan and in order to perform His plan later, I must prepare today.
Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
WOW!
Talk about a revelation. For a moment I had almost forgot that the will of God will never take us where the grace of God will not protect us. From that moment forward, all of my fears were washed away. I put all of my trust in the Lord and know I was where I needed to be and most importantly, I was protected by His grace.
-Steven Gabbard (SSGabbard.com)
