Sermon Reflections from Damaged and Dangerous | Alex Hardt | February 22, 2026
This week we embarked on the story of Moses. He did have a difficult start in a pitch covered basket in the Nile to avoid the edict given by pharaoh to kill all newborn baby boys! Pharaoh was fearful of God’s people and saw their numbers as a threat to his power. However, God’s plan was greater and He saved Moses and even orchestrated the events so that his own mother nursed him until he was about 3 or so. At that point he went to live in the house of the Egyptian Princess who found him in the Nile. I think that Moses always knew he was a Hebrew as his Egyptian mother to be recognized that fact when she drew him out of the Nile. (Exodus 2:6) He spent those first formative years in his birth mother’s house with his brothers and sisters. Then he went into the Pharaoh’s daughter’s house and was educated with the best of the land. Even though his beginning was dangerous and it would seem he was doomed, God had other plans. But, God intervened.
Later when Moses was out seeing how the slaves and their overseers interacted. He witnessed an Egyptian abusing a slave. He took matters into this own hands as he looked about to see if anyone was looking and then killed and buried the Egyptian overseer. The very next day, he observed 2 Hebrews arguing and when he tried to stop it, they asked if he was going to kill them too. (Exodus 2:13-14.) Pharaoh heard about the dead overseer incident and sought to kill Moses. Moses was impetuous and felt entitled to carry out justice. But God, had other things in mind for Moses and protected him as he fled to Midian.
Moses lived in Midian as a shepherd for many years working for his father-in-law, Jethro. He married and had 2 sons. Then God intervened again in his life. God had plans for Moses just as He has plans for you and me. When God had Moses’ attention with a burning bush that was burning but not consumed an angel of the Lord spoke to Him. He told him who he was, Exodus 3:6 “And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God had his attention for sure and told him He had a mission for him to complete. He had him recall the suffering of his people in Egypt, and they needed someone to lead them out. The previous pharaoh was dead and he could safely return. As we will see Moses was not really excited about this mission and had lots of excuses as to why he could not possibly do this job for God.
But God, had other ideas and He knew He had the right man for the job! Moses had the training of the court and knew the protocols necessary to meet pharaoh, he could read and write and speak Egyptian, and he was also a Hebrew so that could relate to the slaves and their suffering- his own family was there. God knew He was the right man in spite of his reservations.
What job has God been preparing you for or has you in right now, that you have the unique ability to relate to all those involved and the right amount of compassion and empathy to get it done God’s way? I have found that past experiences prepare us for what God has in the future. Good times and hard God can use it all. Romans 8:28 comes to mind, “ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” I remember when I was struggling with a difficult teenaged son, and I went through classes to help me deal with him. God used that experience to build compassion and empathy for parents and teens in trouble. I would use that in the future as God brought people into my life that I could relate to as never before. God knew I need that kind of training so He allowed my suffering. God also prompted me to work with my grandson and teach him how to quilt. I never thought that he would use that skill to complete his senior project. We don’t know what God will use from our past but we can be assured that nothing is wasted in God’s economy. God uses all our suffering and hardships for our good and His glory!
Take heart in this and know that if you feel like you are up against a wall, God has a plan and will see you through. I love the saying, “God brought you to it and He will see you through it!” In the weeks ahead, we will see how God does indeed bring Moses through it all, he did not even have any moisture on his shoes from the crossing.
Linda
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Linda is a member of Crossroads church and regularly blogs about her faith.
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