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Strange Sights, Searching Hearts, and a Hope for Revival
From Exodus 3
God got Moses’ attention through a burning bush. When Moses saw the bush, he wondered how it could be ablaze but not consumed. I will go over and see this strange sight, he told himself. (v. 3) Well, if Moses wanted to keep his life tucked away in the back eddies, uneventful and undistinguished, making no real difference in his world, he should have run from that bush. But he could not. God had a call on Moses, and his life was about to change forever – and all of human history with him.
The Lord had His eye on Moses: “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’”(v. 4)
I can’t help but think of how Moses went to investigate something strange to him and how God hooked him on His line. Moses squirmed and even protested at God’s call on his life, but it was too late. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” he pleaded. But to God, that wasn’t even a question worth answering. “I will be with you,” said God. (vv. 11-12)
But Moses wondered about God’s Name: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and . . . they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God’s response: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.’” (vv. 13-14)
Can you get the feel of this little conversation? Moses feels too small for God’s call. “Who am I?” But that’s an invalid question. The real question is “Who is God?” The only answer God gives to Moses’ question of “Who am I?” is “I AM!”
What can we extract for our lives from this episode in the life of Moses? I see a number of lessons:
1) As God had a call on Moses’ life, He has a call on each of our lives.
2) God calls to us, sometimes through something “strange.”
3) We should take courage and go investigate.
4) If we ignore the prompting, we just might pass up the destiny for which we were born.
5) If we heed the prompting, we just might embark on a life-changing and world-changing adventure of faith and obedience.
6) Then it will no longer matter to us who we are. We’ll say emphatically, “Who am I? It matters not. It’s not about me; it’s about God! He is the great I AM, and now I know Him!”
Sometime ago, I wrote in my book, Triumphs of the Heart, about the Queen of Sheba. I called her heart, “the Searching Heart.” We know that had there been a burning bush, she would have gone to investigate, no matter the sacrifice. After all, Jesus, lamenting the complacency of His own people, praised her for chasing down the rumors she heard. He said of her, “she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom . . . .” (Matt 12:42).
In my book, I challenged my readers, Do you wistfully long for more out of life? Are you bored with your Christian walk? Do you wonder if God has more for you in your love relationship with Him? Do you desire fresh fire, fresh infilling, fresh anointing? Then go for it! . . .
My challenge to you today is, “Do you feel discontent with your personal status quo enough to go to where the bush is burning – even if it seems “strange” to you? I don’t know about you, but I want more of God. I NEED more of God. My life is racing by me like a locomotive. I want what’s left of it to count. I want to put off my hurts, disappointments, prejudices, passivity, contentment, fear of the unknown – whatever!
Brothers and sisters, the challenges of our world today are immense. How will we ever stand and confront the increasing pagan powers around us if we ignore God’s power? This is NOT just a matter of personal preference but of our very lives and future as “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15).
Let’s follow hard after God; let’s get equipped; let’s pray for revival; let’s seek revival; let’s not miss the miracle; let’s go to the burning bush and find our burning passion. Let’s turn this upside-down-world right-side up for Jesus Christ. Like Moses, we have a destiny. Amen!
