I’ve never seen a bush burn like that. I imagine it must have been quite a sight. Instead of the charred decay of burning remains, the branches must have been glowing with soft oranges, reds, and yellows. The flame must have danced high in the sky when His voice spoke. With each word, the ground must have rattled, making it hard to keep standing in His presence. And nothing must have been hidden from the light, not even the ewe who had followed close by Moses’ heels and quivered behind his legs.
Honestly, I kind of imagine the scene from Prince of Egypt, which goes to show you how much movies spoil reality. I’m sure the experience was so much cooler than that.
What did it sound like to hear God’s voice commanding him to take off his sandals? What did he think when he unstrapped them? What did it feel like to dig his toes into the light-kissed sand? How could he have prepared for the words God was going to say to him? How could he have known his life was going to change in the following moments?
Moses’ mind must have been whirling when God began to explain how He had heard the cry of the Israelites. The questions must have entered his mind like a stampede, so much so that he couldn’t form a coherent thought. I wonder if everything inside Moses froze when God said, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt,”. No more words, or thoughts, or the ability to breathe. Just one question pushed through breathless lungs-
“Why me?”
His heart must have been crying out, begging God to choose somebody else. I am a small man, God. A small shepherd who finds comfort in rolling hills, who leads and loves a quiet life. I am a husband, a son-in-law, who provides support and food for all his family. I am no leader, and I don’t want to be. I am safe, God. Safe and happy. Comfortable…
Why him?
Because God chose him.
Because Moses did not have to be anything more than who God created him to be.
Because Moses did not have anything to offer but his empty hands for God to do wonders through.
I am a small girl, from a small, rich town. I find comfort in the relationships I have created with my friends and family, in my music and my recliner, and in a warm beverage clasped between my hands. I am just a child, really. I don’t have a whole lot of life experience, and I have very little wisdom. I am safe, happy, comfortable…
But for three years God has whispered in my ear to take my shoes off when I step into a sanctuary-“You are on Holy Ground”. For three years during worship God has reminded me over and over again, “I am going to do great things through you.” For three years, I have wondered, “Why me?”
Because God chose me.
Because I don’t have to be anything more than who God created me to be.
Because I don’t have anything to offer but my empty hands for God to do wonders through.
So I am going to India, I am going to Nepal, I am going to Thailand, to Cambodia, to Vietnam, Ethiopia and Rwanda, to Peru and Bolivia and Ecuador and Columbia. Not because I have something they don’t. Not because I am going to fix all the wrongs in the world. Not even because living out of a backpack and sleeping in a tent particularly excites me (I’m kind of a home body haha).
I am going because God told me to go. I am going because I know He has some lessons He wants me to learn. I am going because He has lives He wants to touch through my empty hands. I am going because He is going to change my life.
If there’s one thing I have learned in my life spent in the church, it’s to OTB:
Obey The Bush.
