Also, disclaimer: This post is a little long. I’m breaking
it into two parts, but I still tend to be a little long winded when I get on a
roll. Just try your best to stick with me to the end, and I promise it will be
worth it.
Exodus 3:1-10
STOP! You people that are familiar
with the story, I know what you’re thinking!
You’re thinking, “That’s not the end!
Why did you stop there?” Well, all shall be revealed in part 2! Be patient!
Now, back to part 1!
P.S. In case
you didn’t catch on, all of that ^ was paraphrased by me :)
So this is where we pick up at Exodus
3:1-10. (Remember, the scripture from the beginning? Maybe you guys are still
with me! Hang in there!)
So I’m sure you wondering, “Where are
you going with all of this, Hannah?” Well, in the above scripture (Exodus 3:1-10),
I have highlighted some particular parts that I really want to really hit on.
#1 Sometimes God uses strange ways to get our attention.
So Moses thought, “I will go over and
see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
– Exodus 3:3
If you’re anything like me, you’re
always looking for “signs” from God. I’m always on the lookout for things that
I think God is pointing out to me. Most of the time I think too deeply about it,
and I just end up confusing myself. What I got from this verse is, if God wants
you to know something, He’s going to make sure to catch your attention. He
might have to use something strange like a burning bush, but if He wants to
speak with you, you’ll know it. You just have to pray that He will reveal
things to you in His own time. Sometimes we pray for things, and expect an
immediate answer. But most of the time that’s not the case. The Lord’s timing
is perfect, and we have to learn to be patient and wait on Him.
God called to him from within the
bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
-Exodus 3:4
Just like God called out to Moses
from the burning bush, when God wants to get our attention He calls out to us.
It most likely won’t be from a burning bush, but God does speak to us through many
different methods. It might be through His word (the Bible), it might be
through a friend, or it might be through a song. God can really use anybody or
anything to grab our attention and speak to us. Pretty cool, huh? Almost 3
years ago, when I made the decision to go on a mission trip to Honduras, I knew
it wasn’t my decision. Because I would never decide to go to a dangerous
foreign country all on my own. But I felt at peace about it and I knew it was
God telling me to go. It wasn’t my decision, it was His. Now, as I start to
prepare for my third trip to Honduras this summer, I’m forever thankful that I
listened to God when He spoke to me.
If and when you feel like God is
speaking to you, remember how Moses answered the Lord. He saw something strange
(the burning bush), heard the Lord call out to him, and he answered. Never be
afraid to answer the Lord’s call!
#3 God sees you struggling.
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen
the misery of my people in Egypt...”
-Exodus 3:7
Have you ever had one of those days
when everything just seems to be going wrong? You wake up 30 minutes late, you
have no clean jeans because you forgot to do laundry (yoga pants it is!). Then,
when you finally get ready to leave, your car won’t start. On top of all of
that, when you get to work/school, you realize you forgot your lunch sitting on
the counter. The same day you get your math test back just to see that you
completely bombed it, or that project at work that was originally due in 2
weeks, yeah, the due date has been bumped up a week.
In the midst of all the chaos of
life, sometimes it’s hard not to question God. “Why is all of this happening to
me, God?” “Can’t I catch a break?” “Hello? God? Are you up there? Can you hear
me?”
Life is the struggle sometimes, and
it’s normal to ask all of these questions. But the good news is, YES, God does
see you struggling! And the even better news is, YES, He is willing to help.
But only in His time. The Israelites (Hebrew people, like Moses) had been
enslaved by the Egyptians for a long time, and they continued to pray to God
for deliverance. And God had a plan (more in Part 2). Even though that plan
took a long time to come to fruition, it was the perfect plan. God sees our
struggles and, like the Israelites, we have to continue praying and putting our
faith in God, knowing He has a perfect plan for us. We also have to be patient
in waiting, because God’s timetable is different from ours. Often times we pray
and want immediate relief from our struggles. But sometimes we need to struggle
in life, to remind us of the ONLY One who can deliver us from our struggles
(Hint: God’s the only One.)
Okay, for those of you that are still
with me, HANG ON! The end is near!
#4 (The final point) God has a job for you to do.
“So now, go. I am sending you to
Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. “
-Exodus 3:10
We are each born with a purpose.
Before we are even born into the world, God has a special job for each and
every one of us to do (Take a look at Psalm 139:13-16.) Some of us know our
purpose before we even graduate high school, and then some of us are in our 40s
or 50s before we truly figure it out. But whenever God does reveal your purpose
to you, no matter how old you are, you have to listen to Him. God’s will for
your life is non-negotiable. End of story. God’s will is good, pleasing, and
perfect (See Romans 12:2.) All we’re asked to do is live it. Because your
purpose is specifically crafted for you, nobody else can do it. And if you
don’t listen to the Lord when he reveals His will for your life, you’re not
only hurting yourself, but you’re hurting the people that you were supposed to
make a positive impact on through fulfilling your purpose. But most
importantly, you’re hurting God. It breaks His heart when He’s worked out a
perfect plan for your life, and then you deny Him.
Example:
Say your favorite teacher assigns you
a project. Since you love this teacher so much, you want to make her happy. So
you spend weeks staying up late, working on this project. You even spend half
of your paycheck buying supplies for the project. When it’s done you step back
and look at it and think “It’s perfect! Mrs. So-and-so will love it!” The day
to turn in the project comes and you walk into Mrs. So-and-so’s classroom and present
the project to her. Before you can even open your mouth to explain the project,
she gives it one look and says “That’s horrible, I won’t accept that.” Talk
about a stab in the heart. You spent many sleepless nights working on this
project, you spent your own money buying the supplies, and she doesn’t even
give it a chance. Not to mention she’s your favorite teacher. You love her and
just wanted to make her happy, and she denied it.
This is how God feels when we deny
his plan for us. He loves us so much and wants us to be happy with what He has
prepared for us. But when it’s presented to us, we deny it without even giving
Him a chance to explain.
Pretty cruel, huh?
Even though it may feel like it sometimes, God
doesn’t beat around the bush. God knows that you struggle and He hears you when
you call out to Him. In His own time, He will burn the bush for you
(Translation: he’ll give you a sign.) He’ll point out His perfect plan for your
life, and He’ll be expecting you to answer Him. The best answer to give him is
“Here I am.” Be willing to be used by God for a greater purpose. He won’t
disappoint you, I promise!
Part 2 will be coming soon, and it should be
much shorter (NO PROMISES! Haha!) Part 2 will discuss what to do when God calls
us, and how we should react to it.
Once again, thanks for reading!
Remember, Jesus loves YOU!
Hannah ♥
