“When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:4 NASB
Throughout Scripture we find God inviting His people to join Him in what He is doing. One of these encounters is in Exodus 3 where we read of an extraordinary meeting between God and Moses at the burning bush.
God initiates this encounter, not Moses; He reveals to Moses what His plans are, and how Moses fits into those plans. God, Yahweh, is the Sovereign Lord who has been working throughout history to accomplish His purposes. God doesn’t expect us to dream up a ministry. He doesn’t ask us to set up targets and goals, nor does He want us to pray for His blessing on things that we have dreamed up ourselves.
God knows what He wants to accomplish, how He is going to achieve it and through whom! He initiates His plans and invites us to join Him in them. He wants us to become more focused on Him, His purposes and ways. Jesus said “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honour him.” (John 12:26)
God is at work in this world and we are to join HIM, not ask Him to join us! The question is not; “What is God’s will for my life?”, but “What is God’s Will and in what capacity is He inviting me to join Him?” In the Book of Exodus, we read how God is working out purposes that have been hundreds of years in the making. Ever since Joseph and his family went down to Egypt, God had been building a nation – Israel. They were to be His people whom He would lead into the Promised Land one day.
Moses was content looking after the sheep, far away from the dangers of Egypt. He had no thought of going back there or possibly even of the people he had left behind. Then God appeared to him and Moses was invited to join God in His work. How would Moses respond? We all know the story, he went, albeit very reluctantly, and the rest as they say is history.
What is God calling you to today? Someone put it like this. “Redemption is God’s work of bringing Christ to a world who needs Him. Mission is God’s work of bringing Christ to a world who needs Him – THROUGH YOU AND ME”
Father, Sovereign Lord, in a world which seems to have gone mad we cry to You for mercy. Guide and lead Your people, the Church. Reveal Yourself through the Holy Spirit You have given to live within us, and through Your Word, the Bible. Show us what You are doing around us today and how we fit into Your plans. Help us Abba Father to join You, to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh, to be branches for Your Spirit, to glorify You in our time.