Yesterday, I came across a note that I had written on September 7, 2012. It was a short little note that I had jotted down while listening to one of the speakers at a Women of Faith conference in Philadelphia. (Sorry, I neglected to write down which speaker.) I believe it may have either been Sheila Walsh or Patsy Clairmont speaking about Moses and the burning bush.
The story in Exodus tells us that Moses is in the wilderness taking care of sheep when he sees a bush engulfed in flames. At first glance, this is probably not an unusual sight, but Moses soon realizes that this particular bush is not burning up. Can't you just picture the puzzled look on his face?
As Moses gets closer, the voice of God calls out to him, "Moses, Moses!"
"Here I am," Moses answers.
"Don't come any closer," God says. He explains to Moses that He knows how miserable His chosen people are in Egypt where they are being held by Pharaoh as slaves. God has heard their cries for help and tells Moses that he is go back to Egypt to rescue them.
Moses's response to God is "Why me?" Isn't that often our first response when faced with difficulty? I know I have cried out those very words countless times.
God's response to Moses was clear and simple. He simply says "I will be with you."
We are all going to have to walk through a fire at some point in our lives, aren't we? Just as Moses did, we need to get past "Why me?" and choose cling to the promise that God will be with us every step of the way. In her book "A Woman's Heart," Beth Moore writes “only you can decide how your fires will affect you. Will you be sanctified or scarred?"
The note that I wrote a year ago is this:
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| Tree On Fire, sunset at Saughtreeegate Farm. Photo taken by Neil Maughan. |
The story in Exodus tells us that Moses is in the wilderness taking care of sheep when he sees a bush engulfed in flames. At first glance, this is probably not an unusual sight, but Moses soon realizes that this particular bush is not burning up. Can't you just picture the puzzled look on his face?
As Moses gets closer, the voice of God calls out to him, "Moses, Moses!"
"Here I am," Moses answers.
"Don't come any closer," God says. He explains to Moses that He knows how miserable His chosen people are in Egypt where they are being held by Pharaoh as slaves. God has heard their cries for help and tells Moses that he is go back to Egypt to rescue them.
Moses's response to God is "Why me?" Isn't that often our first response when faced with difficulty? I know I have cried out those very words countless times.
God's response to Moses was clear and simple. He simply says "I will be with you."
We are all going to have to walk through a fire at some point in our lives, aren't we? Just as Moses did, we need to get past "Why me?" and choose cling to the promise that God will be with us every step of the way. In her book "A Woman's Heart," Beth Moore writes “only you can decide how your fires will affect you. Will you be sanctified or scarred?"
The note that I wrote a year ago is this:
"If you see someone who is going through the fire...
if they have flames all around them and are not consumed....
Listen! Watch!
...you are seeing the power of God."
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Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. |
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