God’s call to advocacy — to plead another’s cause — is spread across the pages of the Bible, and we see powerful stories of Biblical characters who put that call into action. In both the Old and New Testaments, God calls on advocates to speak boldly, whether or not they believe they’re qualified. Each of the six advocates below combines their faith in God with a unique advocacy strategy, and God uses them all powerfully to bring about justice.

Moses (Exodus)

Moses has a lot to teach us about how God can use us even when we don’t think we’re qualified. Like Esther, Moses has a unique position: He was one of the Hebrews, (who were slaves to the Egyptians) but he’d been raised in Pharaoh’s palace. He’s living in the desert when God calls him to go to Pharaoh and tells him to let the Hebrews go.

Moses offers a slew of excuses why he shouldn’t go (Exodus 3 and 4), which God patiently answers until Moses finally exclaims, “ Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13). His plea is simultaneously pitiful and relatable — as much as we want to see people set free, we often hope God sends someone else.

Moses finally agrees to do what God asks, but then Pharaoh refuses to let the Hebrews go free, over and over again. It takes ten plagues — plagues that destroy the health and wealth of Egypt — before Pharaoh grants Moses’ request.

It wasn’t up to Moses to change Pharaoh’s heart. God took care of that. After reconciling himself to the assignment (sometimes it takes us a while!), Moses was faithful in answering God’s call to speak up for the Hebrews, no matter how long it took. Moses’ strategy was to do as God asked and leave the final result to God.