I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. – Numbers 11:14, KJV

If you love the Lord, He will someday place you in a position to lead others on His behalf. Maybe He’ll call you to be a pastor. Maybe He’ll call you to be a missionary. Maybe He’ll make you a leader in your church, or maybe He’ll give you a chance in your “secular” job* to influence others for Him. No matter what form your leadership role takes, it will be an honor to serve the Creator. But beware!  With the honor of leadership comes the burden of leadership, and under that burden even the strongest person can buckle – if that person tries to shoulder the burden alone.

In Numbers 11, Moses finally cracked. After countless times of begging God to have mercy on his rebellious brethren, Moses himself despaired under the heavy weight of his people’s complaining spirit. As Numbers 11:11-15 (KJV) reads:

11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

In sum, Moses told God, “I’ve had it! I can’t take it any more! I’m a failure! Kill me and put me out of my misery!”

Have you ever felt the way that Moses felt? If so, understand that you aren’t a failure, no more than Moses was. You are human, just like Moses was, and God never intended for you to carry your burden alone. God’s remedy for Moses’ situation is found in verses 16 and 17 of Numbers 11, and the same remedy applies to the Christian leader today: get help from other godly people! According to Numbers 11:16-17:

16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

Don’t bear your leadership burden alone. Ask God to send you people with your same spirit to help. If you ask, He will send. He does, after all, love to answer the prayers of those who earnestly seek Him! (See James 5:16 and Mark 11:24.)

* “Secular” means “not spiritual : of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world.” However, nothing is secular for the Christian. According to 1 Corinthians 10:31, Christians are to do EVERYTHING for God’s glory, which means that we are to incorporate God’s ways into all of our exploits, even work. So, work for the dedicated Christian is never “secular.” It is spiritual, for the dedicated Christian understands that God is the master of the workplace just as He is the master of every other aspect of life.