And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Exodus 3:2-4 KJV
Good Morning Beautiful,
Now that I have your attention, God is asking you this morning, ‘where are the burning bushes?’ God is calling you and only you, but He is waiting for you to be burnable. Yes! I said burnable and not vulnerable. God is looking for a dried-up and thorny bush, dusty, and ordinary–something that doesn’t stick out but, when used, will be set ablaze. Is that you? So many questions this morning, but God is trying to get your attention. Are you willing to listen? If yes, then I encourage you to continue reading.
Moses was a man of great status. From the moment that he was brought into this world, He was called. Moses’s life wasn’t easy as he was supposed to be killed at birth, and though he survived, he was exiled and cast out by the very people he loved and devoted his life to serving. Too many of us are always asking, “God, why must you use me? Did you call me for this purpose? Are you sure that you called the right person for the job?” The answers this morning are yes, yes, and yes. God called you for “such a time as this” (see Esther 4:14). He made no mistake, but to use us, God has to be the one that changes us.
To fulfill God’s purpose, He has to break through several hard exteriors barriers in our lives. The keyword here is several; God wants to make us over and prepare us for the journey ahead. Like Moses, God had him wandering in the wilderness for 40 years to teach Moses how to do the very thing he was asking him to do, leading his people through the wilderness. There isn’t a trial that we experience that isn’t purposeful to God.
God uses trials in our lives to bring out the best parts in us ” My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1: 2-6). Not only that, but God uses trial in our lives to make us passionate about the things that He is passionate about and to show us how to lead those that He has placed in our lives to lead.
God is in the business of character building, but He can’t create if your heart is unwilling. It’s come to this point in this reading where I ask you again if “you are listening?” Are you turning aside to notice the thing that God has set ablaze in your life? The burning bush’s Significance wasn’t that it was burning but more or so what God uses to get our attention. God will use our pain and frustrations to attract us to His calling (I know this sounds backward and possibly a little crazy; hang with me).
God is looking for the very thing that will be burnable in our lives. So, when do we notice the calling or the something that is our “burning bush.” For Moses, it was ‘when’ he turned aside to see (see Exodus 3:4). It was at the same time that Moses turned to look that God chose to speak to him. It is “at the same time” for us as well. We have to be the ones to stop trying to avoid what God is attempting to show us in this life and hear the calling and answer to it.
If God is getting your attention this morning, I hope you are in a place to listen. God isn’t trying to harm you, nor is He trying to make you do the impossible. God knows us better than we know ourselves, so stop saying that you can’t. Don’t let the enemy tell you or make you feel that you can’t be used. The enemy is the father of lies, and nowhere in his plan does he want us to be successful. Don’t be fooled; learn to listen to what God is telling you. God has called you, and only you. Be burnable today and un-afraid to step out to the calling God has placed on your life.
Digging Deeper Discussion Questions
- what are the things that you have been frustrated by, or what brings you pain
- Read Deuteronomy 8:2, what is God showing you concerning the trial taking place in your life? How is He giving you hope to help you discern that this is for you?
