THE JOURNEY OF FAITH
CALLED — Discovering God’s Purpose for My Life
September 12, 2026 — When I Ask, “Who Am I?”
Exodus 3:11–12
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
— Exodus 3:11 (KJV)
“Who am I?”
It may be one of the most natural questions anyone has ever asked after receiving a calling from God.
Moses knew his history.
He had once lived in Pharaoh's household, but those days were long gone. He had killed an Egyptian. He had fled for his life. For forty years he had lived in Midian, far from the palaces and power of Egypt.
Now he was an eighty-year-old shepherd standing barefoot in the wilderness.
And God had just told him to go back.
Not merely to return to Egypt—but to stand before Pharaoh and lead an entire nation out of slavery.
“Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?”
We might expect God to answer by reminding Moses of his qualifications.
You grew up in Pharaoh's household.
You understand Egypt.
You know My people.
You have spent forty years being prepared for this.
But God doesn't answer Moses' question that way.
Instead, He says:
“Certainly I will be with thee.”
Moses asks, “Who am I?”
God answers, in effect, “I will be with you.”
Perhaps that is because Moses was asking the wrong question.
And perhaps we sometimes do the same.
When we sense that God may be leading us toward something, we immediately examine ourselves.
Am I talented enough?
Am I educated enough?
Am I young enough—or too old?
Do I have enough experience?
Why would God choose me?
Those questions all begin in the same place:
Me.
God's answer moves the focus somewhere else:
Him.
The Bible is filled with people who could have found reasons they weren't the obvious choice. Yet God's purposes were accomplished not because those people were sufficient by themselves, but because God was with them.
That doesn't mean preparation, ability, and wisdom don't matter. Moses himself had been prepared in ways he could not yet fully appreciate.
But his confidence could not ultimately rest in Moses.
It had to rest in God.
There will probably be moments in our own calling when we look at what lies ahead and wonder:
“Who am I to do this?”
Perhaps God's answer is still the same:
“I will be with thee.”
And if God is with us, then perhaps the most important question isn't who am I?
It is:
Who is going with me?
Prayer
Father, when I look at myself, I can always find reasons why I am not enough. I see my weaknesses, my mistakes, my limitations, and the things I cannot do. When I ask, “Who am I?” turn my attention back to You. Remind me that I do not walk into Your purpose alone. Prepare me for whatever You call me to do, and give me confidence not merely in my own abilities, but in Your promise to be with me. Amen.