God’s Power Demands Our Faith

Today’s reading: Exodus 3:7-12

Nearly three years ago, my wife and I bought a house that required new flooring before we could move in. Cheryl had long dreamed of a living room with a wood floor similar to the luxurious one in the doctor’s office where she worked. I, too, felt excited about this idea, but I quickly realized it was not to be: the materials were just too expensive for our renovations budget. We installed some much less expensive vinyl tile instead.

Cheryl never complained about our new floor, but I knew it was a daily disappointment for her — especially when parts of it started coming loose after just a few months.

This made me sad, but I believed there was nothing I could do about it. We simply did not have the money for an expensive new floor,  I thought.

This situation was not nearly as dramatic as Moses’, of course, but I now understand that I suffered from the same lack of faith that he initially expressed:

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'” (Verse 10)

My cry was along the lines of, “God, I will never be able to build the floor my wife wants — and deserves!”

I should have known better, of course.

If God’s unlimited power can bring Moses’ people from the desperation of slavery to the glory of nationhood, then a new floor for my home is no trouble at all. All that is required is my willingness to commit to my faith.

I’ll spare the details of how I finally came around. I’ll just say thanks to my friend Rudy for his selfless, angelic help and let the picture tell the rest of this story: last night we installed the first half of the new floor.

We’ll have no trouble finishing this work on Monday, and, by the end of next week, several other renovations that I’d formerly assumed were just too expensive or complex will be complete as well.

Thanks be to God for my wife’s glorious vision for this home. May I never forget the lesson of faith I’ve learned in bringing it to fruition.