"And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?"
Moses 6:31
I like this verse because I think we all have these moments of just not understanding how any of this makes sense... why us, when we're so imperfect and so unsuited to whatever it is that we're being asked? We doubt ourselves and we *know* that there are better suited people out there, and we have these flaws and these obstacles, and... etc.
Interestingly, God doesn't answer this question directly in the verses that come after. He just tells Enoch to do it anyway, and offers a lot of reassurance that he can do it, and also that God will back him up. To me, this makes a lot of sense. Maybe the whole question is wrong in the first place. God wasn't choosing him because he was popular or well-spoken, and God doesn't choose any of us because we are the poster-children for dazzling obedience or whatever it is we're worried about. He chooses us because he loves us, he wants to help us grow, and because he knows we can do whatever he asks, if we try, with his help. And Enoch did, and he became one of the greatest men ever.
Today, let's remember that even the greatest people have weaknesses and doubts. We all have moments where we want to give up, or let the cup pass from us. God doesn't ask us to do things that we can't do... but it takes courage and perserverence. Even though we can do it, it might not be on the first try, and sometimes we don't know a better way. So maybe the better question here isn't why, but how. Enoch was able to build a perfect society even though he had no idea how to start... God redirected his question and got him going. Several people in the scriptures who didn't have any idea of how to lead people, or how to build boats or arks or barges were told how to do it when they had no idea as well. Let's go forward, and if we fail at first and get stuck or can't find our way, let's get back up and ask God for further instructions. :)
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