Faith
© sue shields 2004
www.sueshields.com
A few of my own personal debates with the Lord at my burning bushes can include:
There aren’t enough hours in the day Lord. My body and mind is tired and too weary to write down all the things the Holy Spirit is revealing to me. Someone else could do a better job for you Lord and on and on it goes at times. Have you ever felt like that, too much interference from the outside, it’s not that you don’t want to follow it is just….????
Major things like my lack of abilities with all the new technologies and weariness from other duties I already have, seem to get in the way. Excuses are not hard to come by when the Lord asks you to get out of the boat and to walk in faith on the water for Him. It is so easy to get your eyes off the Lord and see only the rageing waters (duties or lack of abilities) that certainly always encircle us. Have you ever made excuses for not doing something you know the Lord placed a burden on your heart to do?
Our only example in the Bible was of Peter’s attempt of walking on the water (literally) to Jesus. In Peter’s defense and failure of walking on the water, I have to add this simple thought, if you noticed he was the only one who even attempted the action. But every disciple is called in some way to walk on unfamiliar grounds for the Lord. We are given a burning bush desire directly from the Lord to follow.
We tend to give many (good) excuses for the reasons why we can’t do certain things the Lord is leading us to do. When my kids are grown, when I have enough finances to do that project, even like Moses maybe, when he stated that he wasn’t good at speaking. Sadly I have to admit that I’ve been guilty of this at various times over the years. However the Lord is quite patient and persistent with His children and continues to make the bush (a certain need) to burn in our hearts in hopes that we will decide to get in the boat of faith and follow. Anything we are called to do, He will see us through it if we only trust and obey His call.
Looking back a few thousand years, we see according to the Bible that Moses seemed to have had it pretty cushy the first 40 years, being raised in the palace of the King and all. The next 40 years however was difficult and probably very humiliating as well as humbling for Moses. We see a chosen future leader living in a palace setting, and then a humbled leader of some dumb sheep for his father- in- law in the desert. The riches to poverty syndrome seem to have occurred in his life. (Ironic isn’t it how God can give one the experience they will need later?) Anyway one day while watching the sheep eat he saw a bush burning in the desert; which I’m told isn’t that unusual in that area, however this bush attracted his attention because it continued to burn, so Moses approached to investigate the difference.
Everything happens in our life according to God’s timing, and not what we think should be his timing. Moses before he fled Egypt in fear of his life for standing up for his own people, probably thought that it was his time to act and be a representative of the Lord to his own people. Forty years of age seems a good age to me, having learned a little wisdom hopefully, and being at the top of your energy scale, or at least still have some energy left anyway. However we see that it wasn’t in God’s perfect scheduled timetable. While we don’t really know the particulars of course, we do see that the Lord allowed Moses another 40 years to humble himself in the desert doing dreary physical work for his father- in- law. Tending to sheep all day long in the hot sun certainly ranks as a thankless job in my estimation anyway. Evidently he needed the experience of leading sheep in the future, God’s like that I’ve found out over the years myself, always patiently trying to teach us what we will need in the future to serve Him.
When the Lord’s perfect time approached He found Moses in the desert, it doesn’t matter where we are at, the Lord always knows our location. He spoke to him from a bush that was on fire that never burned up. Again, I’ve read that this happens in the desert, the heat sparks a dried out bush and it burns. What made this one different is that it didn’t completely burn up but kept on burning, and that got Moses attention. After these 40 years had passed for Moses, God’s timing to free His people lined up with prophecy set before they ever became slaves in Egypt. It was time to call His servant Moses to action now.
I say this because I believe Moses was set apart for this calling from his birth and he was kept safe from destruction when the King had ordered all male babies to be killed. God used the parent’s faith; and the daughter of the King to keep Moses safe from harm. Now we see the more humbled side of His servant Moses. Maybe like us, Moses figured he had misunderstood all those years when he was still living in the palace, his calling from God to help his own people? Have you ever felt like that, that you must have misunderstood the Lord concerning something in your own life? Maybe it also wasn’t in God’s perfect timing either or you need more training to be ready for the job.
Anyway we find 80 year old Moses begin with all the excuses of why he couldn’t do it now. I’m not a good speaker Lord, they won’t listen to me, I’m too old and tired now seems to proceed from old Moses mouth. Aren’t we the same really, opportunity never seems to come when it is an opportune time for us to obey do they? They seem to come when we are the busiest with other duties maybe, or we feel we are too old and worn out to be of any use, and we just don’t feel capable of doing the job for some reason now.
The Lord knows His children so well, I actually believe He waits for another reason, and that is where we can comprehend fully it is only by “His power” that we are able to accomplish anything at all. Many times over the years I have heard people (preachers generally) state that the project they chose was so impossible that only God could accomplish it. While I agree with that theory in part, I believe it is God alone that picks the project He desires for us, it has nothing to do with some building project man dreams up and puts God’s label on it. We have all seen these projects that evidently God wasn’t in them and they faltered.
The Lord desires that we acknowledge it isn’t of our own doing at all, but Him doing it through us. When we make various excuses we don’t fully trust the Lord to do the work, we are thinking with our five senses (flesh) and not our faith in action trusting Him. I’ve also been guilty of this too many times to count I’m sorry to say.
After He previewed for Moses what He (God) would do for Moses, using his own shepherds rod in an attempt to show the King that he came with direct orders from the Lord with the request, to let God’s people go free. The Lord also allowed his brother Aaron to speak for him since he was slow of speech, or felt unable to confront the King audibly. At least Moses was willing to obey the Lord’s directions. He recognized that this was indeed God speaking to him from the burning bush, so he left his home and family and headed back to Egypt.
We have a saying to take up our cross and follow the Lord; Moses took up his shepherd’s rod and followed directions.
Following the Lord is always a learning experience, it isn’t magic that is instantly popped into your head and magically all of God’s wisdom just flows in. We are still human and must learn by our experiences and obedience in following and listening to the Lord’s words and this takes time.
We can observe Moses spiritual growth and each step of faith he took in this ordeal with the King, and also with the ungrateful people he freed from bondage. You do recall he had these ungrateful people(sheep) under his care for 40 years, and they saw the same miracles the Lord did to provide for them, and yet they hardened their hearts, and desired to return to bondage for the physical comforts they were used to before in spite of them all. Sure they were slaves but they had something besides this boring manna every day, and constant walking in the desert.
It seems ironic doesn’t it that 40 years in the desert humbled a once self confident Moses, and the same 40 years of the slaves desert walking, made them rebel against the Lord? I guess desert walking can bring out the best or worst in people. Modern day thinking says trials and tribulations can either make one bitter or better; we are the ones who choose which of those it will be.
Like Moses I am willing to follow, I just feel so incapable of doing justice to the job given to me. I know someone smarter than me could do a better job and much faster as well, but I’m also sure that for some reason He wants me to do it. While my mind grows weary and even wanders off in various directions at times, I have to remind myself often that it is Him alone that is doing the work through me, all I have to do is be obedient and type, Praise the Lord.! I do know that the harvest fields are ready for harvesting, and all of God’s children are needed as workers in the Lord’s fields.
In John 15; Jesus was teaching about the vine, branches and the landowner or husbandman of the field. The analogy being that; the landowner being God the Father, the Vine representing the Lord Jesus and the branches are the children on God. Each plant needs to bear some fruit in its season for it to be considered a good plant.
I always seem to go into a gardening format for my analogies for some reason that only the Lord knows, of course the Lord often did also so I’m in good company. Anyway on a plant the main stem doesn’t produce blooms or develop fruit, only the branches perform that duty. However the branches can’t produce without the main stem and the roots that give it life. The gardener often has to trim back the branches at times to make them become more productive. There are at times branches that can harm or over burden the plant that needs to be totally cut off entirely, because it will do more harm than good for the plant.
Going with the above analogy and connecting it to God’s Word, we are told we must abide in Him or we are incapable of doing anything. If we don’t abide we are in danger of being cast out, but if we abide we can ask to be fruitful and our prayers will be answered. The Father is glorified when we bear fruit; we are disciples of Jesus, His beloved Son. We abide in His love as Jesus abided in the Fathers love. Our command is to love as Jesus loved us, this alone leads one to know the joy sent back to us for our fulfillment and the peace that only the Lord can give to us. Amen.
The word also tells us that one plants, one watered, but only God can give the increase.(1Corinthians 3:6-9 paraphrased) We just have to trust the Lord with the outcome whether we have been called to plant or water along the way.
A burning bush is always an opportunity to serve the Lord. Amen!
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