God will provide
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee." Exodus 31:1-6
God had given Moses the task of building, setting up, and running the tabernacle in which God would meet with his people and receive their offerings. It was to be at the center of Israelite life and worship, both geographically and spiritually. There was no other physical building on the planet in which God promised to reveal himself in this way. This was therefore a task of tremendous proportions.
And yet, as God's words to Moses show, he never gives a task to his people without giving them everything they need to complete it. In this case, what was needed were men who were especially skilled in woodwork and metalwork, indeed, "in all manner of workmanship," if this was not to come off in a shoddy way. But God made sure the men were there who had the skills. In fact, we are told not only that God arranged for these men to be available, but that the very skills they would use for the building of the tabernacle were given to them by God himself.
Now consider the church, which is likened in the New Testament to the temple (which replaced the tabernacle) in Ephesians 2:20-22 (among other places). Sometimes we can become depressed when we consider the magnitude of the task that faces the church. When we consider the subtlety of the arguments of unbelievers and the discouragements facing believers on a multitude of fronts, the dangers facing the church from within and from without, it can be overwhelming. We might be tempted to think that no one is sufficient for these things.
Indeed, brothers and sisters, we are not. But God is, and he will always provide the church with what it needs. He gives to the church everything it needs, and he equips believers for the task of building up other believers and extending the effectiveness of God's kingdom on earth. When Paul asked, "And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16), his answer was that "such trust have we through Christ to Godward: not that we are sufficient in ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also had made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Cor. 3:4-6). God makes us able . . . ministers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, employees, employers, friends, family members, and so on. He has put each of us in precisely the place we are meant to be and he has given us the gifts we need to finish the task before us - whatever that is - in a way that glorifies him, builds up the church, and brings blessing to others.
My friend, don't despair at the task God has given you. Don't despair at the challenges facing the church. God hasn't forgotten! Let us, instead, go forward with every confidence, with hope and joy serving in the church founded upon the Rock and over which the gates of hell will never prevail (Mt. 16:18).