Off in the distance, there was smoke, and the smoke piqued his curiosity. So on this day, he made the trek up the side of the mountain to investigate. Getting closer to where the smoke was rising, he saw something so strange he had to get a closer look.
Moses had been a shepherd in these hills for 40 years, and his once luxurious life in Egypt was all a memory. He had killed a man, and in the crosshairs of the Pharaoh, he fled. His life was now spent as a son-in-law and husband and Father and shepherd. All of this was about to change.
When Moses got closer, he could see the cause of the smoke was a bush that was on fire, but it was not the fire that intrigued him. It was the fact that even with the fire, the bush was not consumed. As he approached, Moses heard his name. Moses, take off your shoes because the place upon which you are standing is Holy Ground.
Moses is one of my heroes. I used to read his story and think, “Moses must have been great. Look what God did with him.” After careful study, I discovered that God is great, and Moses’ greatness was only a result of being tight with God. The story of Moses is something for all of us, and you can find the rest of the story in Exodus. Here are a few things I love about this story.
I love that God called Moses by name. As Moses got closer, a voice called him by name. This is so cool to me because it means God’s invitation to Moses was personal. When God picks us, He does not say, “I’ll take the fat kid with funny hair on end” God’s invitation to us is personal. He knows us by name. He calls us by name because He loves us.
I love that God did not invite Moses to do something Moses was ready for, but rather something that needed to be done. God’s presence with Moses was what Moses needed more than preparation. In my life, this is a reality. “My people are crying and suffering Moses… you go and tell Pharaoh to let them go. I WILL BE WITH YOU…” I am in over my head for 26 hours a day, eight days a week. God’s presence in my life is what keeps me from drowning.
I love that God takes Moses’ most common tool, and He uses it for His purpose. “Moses, what is that in your hand? My shepherds’ staff.” For the next 40 years, this staff is the tool that God uses to turn the Nile to blood, part the Red Sea, bring water from a rock, and a bunch of other amazing miracles. What Moses used to care for his sheep, God used to deliver and care for His people. God takes what we have and who we are and does something miraculous with it and us.
I love that God and Moses built a relationship. When Moses started the journey, he was reverent, took off his shoes, hid his face, but he still tried to weasel his way out of God’s invitation. Over time, God’s presence with Moses became a genuine love relationship with God. Once Moses told God that if God wasn’t going, he didn’t want to go either. What God wants done, God can get done. His power and will do not need you or me. The invitation of our Father in heaven is to a relationship, and from that relationship comes all the significance any one life can handle.
Starting next week, we will begin a new series on the most important job ever.