“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

– Exodus 4:12 (NIV)

The Leader with a Limp

Moses stuttered. Let that sink in. The man who stood in front of Pharaoh, spoke truth to power, led millions out of Egypt, parted a sea, and delivered stone tablets from God Himself… had a speech problem.

God didn’t give him a TED Talk voice. He gave him a stammer. And still handed him a mic and said, “Go.”

Now, let’s be honest: if you and I were casting the role of national leader in a global rescue mission, we’d look for someone with presence. Someone smooth. Silver tongue. PR-ready. Probably with a custom robe and an Instagram following.

But God? He picks the guy who gets tongue-tied in front of sheep.

Because in the Kingdom, God doesn’t need polish—He looks for obedience.

The Excuse List God Ignored

When God calls Moses in Exodus 3 and 4, Moses does what most of us do when we feel exposed: he reaches for excuses.

“Who am I to go to Pharaoh?”
“What if they don’t believe me?”
“I’m not good with words!”
“Please, Lord, send someone else…”

Sound familiar?

We’ve just wrapped those same excuses in modern lingo:

• “I don’t have the credentials.”

• “I’m not a public speaker.”

• “This isn’t my gifting.”

• “I’ve made too many mistakes.”

• “That’s not really my calling…”

But God isn’t hiring based on your résumé. He’s commissioning based on your yes.

He didn’t ask Moses to be eloquent. He asked him to go.

What’s In Your Hand?

In the middle of Moses’ meltdown, God doesn’t say, “It’s okay, I’ll find someone better.” Nope.

He says, “What’s in your hand?”

Just a stick. A shepherd’s staff. Worn down, probably smelled like goat.

And God says, “That’ll do.”

He turned that stick into a serpent. Then into a sign. Then into a staff that would split the Red Sea. God didn’t need Moses to be powerful—He just needed him to hold out what he already had.

You don’t need a seminary degree or a six-figure job or a perfect backstory. God wants to use the ordinary in your hands to bring about the extraordinary in His plan.

You Don’t Have to Speak Perfectly to Speak Powerfully

We’ve gotten this weird idea that leadership requires smooth talkers. But Scripture tells a different story.

• Moses stuttered.

• Jeremiah said he was too young.

• Paul wasn’t known for dynamic preaching.

• Even Jesus, in Isaiah’s prophecy, “had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him.”

Yet the power was never in their presentation—it was in God’s presence.

God didn’t fix Moses’ stutter. He didn’t zap him with eloquence. He just said, “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Let that settle in.

God’s not promising you a smoother path—He’s promising His steady presence.

Stop Waiting for Perfect Conditions

You’re not disqualified because of your weakness. You’re positioned.

Some of us are waiting for the day we stop stuttering in life—when our finances are stable, our confidence is high, our past is neatly behind us, and our prayers sound like poetry.

But that day might not come.

And still, God says, “Go.”

God called Moses in the middle of his insecurities. He knew about the stutter. He created Moses with it. Not to shame him—but to showcase God’s strength through his surrender.

So if you’ve been holding back because of what you lack, maybe today’s the day you stop. And go anyway.

You Don’t Need to Be the Voice—Just Carry the Message

Here’s a leadership truth: You don’t have to be the best speaker in the room to carry a message that shakes nations. You just have to be faithful.

Moses didn’t get famous for sounding sharp—he got remembered for obeying when it was uncomfortable.

The impact isn’t in the delivery—it’s in the obedience.

Mirror Moment: Reflect on This

• What excuses have I been giving God that sound spiritual but are really fear?

• Where am I waiting for perfection instead of obeying with what I already have?

• What’s “in my hand” right now that God might be trying to use?

• Have I confused being articulate with being anointed?

Write your answers out. Be honest. Then ask this simple question:

“What would change if I actually believed God could use me like this?”