If Moses Had to Pitch: We'd Still Be in Egypt
The Spirit leads—strategy follows
Can you imagine if Moses had to pitch the Israelites on “the exodus”?
If he had to somehow persuade them to grab what they could carry and just start walking?
His slide deck would have 1 image:
people walking.
That was the plan. One phase.
You can almost see the hand shooting up from the back of the crowd—the proto-accountant asking:
“So, how long do we walk?
How far are we going?
What is our defensive plan against the Egyptian army should they change their mind?
Have you located a proper crossing point for the Red Sea?”
These are rational questions—but questions asked from the belief that we must plan out all our steps before making the first.
From every story I’ve ever read in the Bible, this appears to not be how God operates.
Abraham is called to leave his homeland and set out for the Promised Land.
No details offered. David is anointed as King with no political playbook to follow.
All this while Saul still rules.
Jesus calls his disciples by simply saying:
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
That is a vague and open-ended invitation—void of any comfort of a strategic plan.
I think this is still the way that God works. He appears to value faithful obedience far above careful execution and strategy.
Don’t believe me?
Tell me how many details Jesus gave his followers about the execution strategy to spread the gospel after he ascended into heaven?
The answer is one step.
“You will receive power to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
— Acts 1:8
Those are the details. That is the plan. We might summarize it as Follow the Spirit where it leads.
I believe we now live in an age where we’ve become a bit obsessed with our own knowledge and understanding. We’ve traded faith for something we think is wisdom.
Nowadays we call it good stewardship. We would rather follow a wonderfully crafted plan—outlined in a 12-step pitch deck—than the simple call of the Spirit.
And yet the Spirit whispers to us still. We hear it in our innermost selves.
Not just calling us toward a life of love, joy, peace, patience, and joy. But toward a life of wild and free obedience. A life that hears and follows the call of the Life-Giver.
But we don’t know how to cultivate this listening. How to be still enough and silent enough to hear. How to do this every single day. Every moment of every day.
So instead of Spirit-led, we have become plan-based.
“You can pitch me on the plan to cross the Red Sea, and maybe I will go.
But if you haven’t thought of everything, Moses,
I will stay here in bondage—thank you very much.”
A good word, Will!