By Guest Writer
There was an older gentleman in my hometown that took me under his wing when I was in middle school. He gave me my first motorcycle ride, taught me the importance of a firm handshake, and explained how to smooth talk your way out of a tight spot.
One summer he hired me to work for him and dubbed me his “official representative.” It wasn’t as fancy as it sounds. My work usually consisted of trips to the hardware store for more nails and calling customers to tell them their order was ready (or not). I was essentially a glorified errand boy.
Whenever I was acting on his behalf, he’d always say, “Remember, if anyone gives you trouble, tell ‘em Larry sent you.” Larry knew that no one would listen to me, and so when I spoke, he wanted everyone to know they weren’t listening to me—they were listening to Larry through me. That made all the difference.
When angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush, something very similar was happening—only far more important. In fear for his life, Moses fled to Midian from his home in Egypt after killing an Egyptian taskmaster. He made a nice life for himself there. He married and settled down, and soon Egypt became a distant memory.
But then, after years of living the inconspicuous life of a shepherd, Moses was thrust into the very center stage of redemptive history.
Trembling, he slipped off his sandals and rested his bare feet on the holy ground as God introduced Himself. Moses could hardly believe his ears when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Feeling completely unqualified for the job, Moses questioned God. Why me? What am I to say? Who am I to say sent me?
Patiently, God responded, “Just tell them ‘I am’ sent you” (Exodus 3:14).
The truth is, God knew Moses wasn’t qualified for the job. He also knew that Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to the voice of Moses. But that’s okay, because Moses wasn’t acting on his own behalf. God was speaking and acting through Moses, and in the end, that made all the difference.
We may not be hearing God’s voice from the midst of a burning bush, or leading a nation of captives to freedom, but each day we live and move as representatives of God in the world. It is an act of faith to do what the Lord has called us to do without relying upon human confidence and credentials, but to instead remember that your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Let His strength be perfected in your weakness today (2 Corinthians 12:9). In the name of the Lord, answer God’s call on your life, and as you do, trust God to do the heavy lifting. That’s what He did for Moses. He will for you, too.
Written By Nate Shurden
48 thoughts on "Moses and the Burning Bush"
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Rickyleemay says:
Let’s freaking do the dang thing
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God please help me be the errand boy. Help me remember that you sent us and we go about your business on your authority. With that in mind help us go boldly. And help me trust you to do the heavy lifting.
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Scott Schulman says:
We are so easily scared by other people. What we think people think of us or what we think people will do to us is a huge motivator in our decisions.
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Choose to consciously represent God in my conversation.
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The Gospel saves me to a life that is all about God. We get to represent God in this world. What a privilege!
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Lord, help me to be your advocate. I want others to see You through me today. Help me to not want all the glory for myself, but to be humble and point others to you.
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God sends me out into the world on His behalf. I’m not to live my life for myself.
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Jared Stacy says:
The gospel is the intersection of my need and God’s pursuit of glory.
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Tyler Rowe says:
God does not called the equipped, he equips the called. I am not “qualified” at all to do ministry in a worldly sense, but God doesn’t care. He WANTS to include me in the work of His kingdom despite the fact that he does not need me to do this work.
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Man is not worthy of this unbelievable mercy. We are unqualified sinners that have no business being in a relationship with the god of the universe. Only by grace safe we able to do this.
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Trusting God’s word is crucial if you are going to confidently go where he calls you. Being in scripture is instrumental in trusting the Lord with your life and well being.
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By going where the Lord calls me to be though I feel unworthy of being there all together. And when I am nervous about where I am going next, I will remember how God led Moses and guarded his soul so that he could do the work of the Lord.
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I will pray for confidence in the Lord and boldness as I go into uncharted territory.
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Braden Condray says:
We see throughout the Scriptures that God loves the odds to be stacked against His people because it adds to His glory when He delivers them and removes any opportunity for giving that glory to something of someone else. Of course none of us are qualified to carry the message of the Gospel to the world, that’s the whole point!
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The Gospel is the ultimate example of our insufficiency and God’s deliverance. It is the fulfillment of what the Exodus story foreshadows. God delivered the Israelites from physical slavery, and He has delivered us from spiritual slavery to sin by the blood of Jesus Christ.
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I will trust no longer in myself or my own ability, but trust completely in His sufficiency and faithfulness. I will step out in faith to do all He has called me to do and be all that He has called me to be, knowing that there is no way I can do it apart from Him, but that He is faithful to supply for our need.
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We are so prone to see things from our tiny human perspective and to forget the surpassing faithfulness of our God. But if we step out in faith to do what He has called us to do, knowing full well that we are entirely insufficient for the job, He is faithful to deliver us and provide what we need to do it.
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Heavenly Father, thank you for your great faithfulness to us even in spite of our great unfaithfulness to you. Thank you for the grace and mercy you have shown each of us and for the salvation you have secured for us in Jesus Christ. I pray that as we seek to bring you glory in this world that we would experience the truth of Jesus’ words that “nothing is impossible with God”. I pray that you would help our unbelief, and help us to trust that, although we can never measure up to the task you have entrusted us with, you will always be sufficient. Help us to function as the best representatives of you in this world that we can be. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
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Aaron says:
That God knows who and what we are and what we are able to do.
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That we do not know our full potential without the Lords help.
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