“When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God said to him in the midst of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses.’ Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ And then God said, ‘Don’t come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you’re standing is holy ground.'” Exodus 3:4-5
Imagine, Moses just sitting in the desert watching his flock of sheep. As the adoptive prince of Egypt now living in exile after killing an Egyptian – this is his new normal. Suddenly, Moses spots a bush completely consumed by flames, only it’s not burning up. Curious, he begins to investigate. That’s when he hears his name, “Moses, Moses.” “I’m here,” Moses says.
What follows is God calling Moses to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites into freedom. This is no small task: an Egyptian fugitive turned shepherd, confronting the most powerful man on earth to let all his slave labor go free.
Filled with courage and faith, Moses jumped into action – right? Wrong. In spite of everything he had just experienced, inadequacy and doubt overwhelm him. “But who am I to do this?… Who do I say sent me?… What if nobody believes me?… But, I’m not a public speaker” (My Paraphrase of Ex. 3: 11, 13; Ex. 4: 1, 10). Perhaps you can relate.
When I was struggling with the decision to leave the business world for full-time ministry, I would have loved an audible confirmation from God (like Moses had) that I was headed in the right direction.
But, it didn’t happen that way. And it doesn’t happen that way for most of us. However, the God who saw Moses in the middle of the desert and called him by name, sees you right where you are. He knows your name and has a specific calling on your life.
What has God put on your heart, but you’re letting insecurity and doubt hold you back?
Like Moses, you’re giving God excuse after excuse rather than stepping out in faith. Maybe you’re trying to figure out what exactly is your calling in life? If that’s you, then start by giving your life to God in repentant faith. This is the calling we ALL have on our lives – the calling to follow Jesus. Where God leads you from there – well, the possibilities are endless. Trust that God will fill in the details!
