No More Excuses

“So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12 NKJV)

My dear Christian sister, Anne, teaches children and youth, and she includes Bible lessons with academic studies. 

One of her students, a 10-year-old, was fascinated by Moses and did some extra digging into the story. He came back to class with a mature-beyond-his-years observation. “Moses was full of excuses!” he said, saying he had counted seven reasons Moses gave God about why he was unable to do what God called him to do.

Anne’s student had picked up on Moses’ initial stance before the Lord. God demonstrated His power and glory with a burning bush, gave Moses His promises of abundance and signs for the children of Israel, turned his rod into a snake, and made his hand leprous before him. 

Yet instead of being excited and ready to jump into action for God, Moses hid his face, afraid to look on God. In this extraordinary conversation with the Creator of the universe, Moses bucked at every command issued to him. He justified his reluctance to follow God with a litany of his inadequacies.

The commentary from Anne’s student gave me pause to think further about this well-known story. I knew about Moses’ hesitancy but hadn’t pondered the “whys” behind it. Seven excuses? Really? That’s bigtime stubborn.

But I get it. Moses was around 80 years old by the time God approached him. I’m sure he was getting creaky with age, having a hard time keeping up with sheep and no longer good at finding words. The thought of leading a million people was overwhelming. I’m not surprised Moses said, “Get somebody else.”

His excuses, though, revealed his lack of understanding about the vast difference between God and him. It’s almost as if Moses was saying to God, “You didn’t make me eloquent. You haven’t really prepared the people. They and the Egyptians are more powerful than You are. Your wonders aren’t convincing enough.” Ultimately, Moses implied that God couldn’t do what He promised to do.

In this brief exchange with our almighty Father, Moses stalled. Postponed. Procrastinated. Justified. Whined. 

Just as you and I do every single day.

Got a project you believe God wants you to do? My desk is covered with them…along with a boatload of reasons why I haven’t done them. Not enough time. Not enough resources. Too many other priorities. A list of inadequacies. Fear that people will scorn me. A desire to pass them along to someone else. Can you identify with me?

To his credit, Moses eventually got up, relinquished his sheep responsibilities, and went back to Egypt with the aid of his brother Aaron. He did run into the difficulties he expected, encountered the resistance of Pharoah as predicted, and inherited a million problems from his new flock of Israelites. Nothing changed about God’s commands or expectations. God told Moses to do it anyway.

You know the rest of the story. Moses, through God’s power, sent the Egyptians cowering and led the Israelites through the Red Sea toward the Promised Land, continuing to care for God’s people until turning the reins over to Joshua. It was a daunting journey, but God remained with him all along the way. God had chosen and prepared the right man.

Friend, in the same way, our obedience boils down to trust. We can either keep making excuses…or do as Moses finally did and accept God’s challenge. It means putting our faith in God’s power, His promises, and His willingness to provide. God allowed Moses to live to be 120 years old but gave him vision and strength that was undiminished to the end (Deuteronomy 34:7).

Let’s use this fall season to re-evaluate our diligence, trust, and acceptance of long overdue duties for our God. Remember what He has done for you, and let it give you gratitude and courage to speak out for Jesus. Remember His faithfulness to you, and let it give you joy for the journey. 

Let’s get going on His journey…no more excuses from me or you!

O God beyond all praising, raise me up to follow Your commands and set me on the path for obeying Your call. Give me the strength and courage to overcome my fears and reluctance. Show me how I need to get started. Open the right doors to the first step. Give me the resources and helpers, people who will encourage me wisely. Don’t let me shy away from the difficulties ahead…let me have the reassurance that I am in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2025 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #moses #promisedland #gratitude #trust #burningbush