Moses is one of the most recognizable biblical characters considering he was an ordinary man who had extra ordinary encounters with God. At the time of his birth, all Hebrew newborn males born in Egypt were to be killed, according to Pharaoh, King of Egypt. Moses' parents felt he was special — isn't that normal for all parents of their newborns? — so he was hidden and nursed at his parents home until three months of age.
He was laid in a basket that was placed on the banks of the Nile river. As it happens, the Pharaoh's daughter saw the basket with Moses in it, crying, and she felt sorry for him. Even though he was Hebrew, she not only rescued him but adopted him and raised him. Moses had royal upbringing, education, was a prince — and yet in trying to help a fellow Hebrew became an exiled shepherd for 40 years and eventually a reluctant leader of God's people.
What became the critical turning point in the life of Moses is a burning bush and God, in His love for us, always places a burning bush, which can be described as something, an event, someone to draw us to Him, hearing His voice, listening to a Gospel message, as God works in mysterious and wonderful ways. Most of us miss it, disregard it, ignore it for fear or skepticism.
Moses went to explore the burning bush and the Lord introduced Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Today, as we live under the New Covenant, we are introduced to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, the Redeemer, Yeshua. Interestingly, after the encounter with the Lord at the burning bush Moses life was totally changed along with his purpose and calling in life. Today, after our encounter with Jesus Christ, our life is also changed along with His purpose and calling for our lives. The key for Moses and for us is to explore the burning bush which the Lord places in our lives.
Moses was at a time and place in his life where he had nothing to offer God. He had gone through a process of nothingness, which is a polite way of saying he no longer had any self confidence, no reliance on self, no image of his self importance in spite of his upbringing and education. He was at a place where God could and did get his attention, and all Moses could do was rely and totally trust in God.
Many of us, like Moses, can think we have nothing to offer, that our best days and opportunities are behind us, that we are marking time, but, there is a "but," and that is exploring the burning bushes and responding to God's purposes for our lives. It might not have the major impact of Moses' calling, but in God's purposes we can trust Him that it has significance and of importance to Him and others. The key is to explore and respond to your burning bush.
John Grady lives and writes in Fort St. John
