Month: July 2019

As I was reading the story of Moses and the burning bush, I pondered it’s meaning for quite some time. I wondered how it was that Moses found himself in the presence of God, in an unusual place and at an unexpected time.   I thought, “What would be our reaction if we suddenly found ourselves in the presence of God? What would we do?” Let’s first look at Moses’s divine moment with God in [Exodus 3: 1-7] before we reflect on our miraculous moments with God. 

“Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness, [Exodus 3:1]. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God…”

 Our tangible experiences with God may not be as bold and pronounced as Moses’s total amazement with God’s display. Yet we have had those jaw-dropping moments when we are utterly sure that only God could have done what was just witnessed. 

 I have had those astounding moments in my own life. Without any doubt, it was clear to me that the voice I was hearing in my heart belonged to God. I knew with all my being that the words weren’t my imagination or a hallucination. They were His — the Holy Spirit. Those miraculous and precious moments became the greatest testimony of my life. Though the presence of God didn’t fix my problems right away, it changed my perspective, and gave me a new understanding of my circumstances and how to move forward in faith. I’ve learned through bible study that the actual ground which Moses stood on was not holy; it was the presence of the holy God that made it holy.

 Some people think the only way to stand in the presence of God is to enter a holy place. Depending on their belief, it might be a temple, mosque, church, or another location deemed holy. God certainly dwells in these places! But you do not have to go anywhere to be on holy ground. God manifests his power to us daily; we’re the ones who fail to recognize His presence. His dwelling place is in our hearts.  When through praise and worship, we position ourselves for an encounter with God, He will enter our circumstances with power. We are already in the presence of God, the only thing missing is our awareness! 

 The Bible emphasizes on this in [Deuteronomy 31:6], “Don’t mistake God’s patience for His absence. His timing is perfect, and His presence is constant. He’s always with you!”

Dennis Prager, in his writings, sums it up like this, “The question is: Who sees the miracles of daily life? And the answer is: Whoever choose to see.”

Maybe God has asked you to do something, and you’ve done it, but not only has your mission failed to unfold in the way that you expected, it has caused more headaches and delays. You feel apprehensive and doubtful, wondering why God does not want you to succeed. God is not primarily interested in our success; he is more interested in building honorable character traits in us. He is longing for us to trust him. Even more, he is remarkably faithful to deliver on his promises in his timing.

Let’s take a close look at how we treat our children. Do we always give our children what we’ve promised them right away, or might we wait until we see improvements in their behaviors? And would it please us to see them wait patiently and trust us as we reward them accordingly?

Moses’s journey with God exemplifies the journey we have with our Heavenly Father. God told Moses, [Exodus ‪3: 10-13‬], “So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt…” God assured Moses that he would be with him as he delivered the message to pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God even enabled him to perform miracles and change the mind of both the King and the Israelites. As for as the Israelites, this is what the Lord said to Moses, “That they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you.” [Exodus 4:5]

God not only promised his people freedom, he also promised them a rich land flowing with milk and honey. At first Moses pleaded with God to let him out of this mission. The task was difficult; it seemed impossible to convince Pharaoh to let go of the Israelites. Not only did the king of Egypt refuse to let God’s people go, he also gave them harsh tasks. Over the years, they faced trouble after trouble. It all happened as a result of their lack of faith and trust. They were grumbling, complaining, and blaming Moses for their misery. God did finally respond, not to their complaints, but more likely to build up their trust.

Bringing God into your life takes effort. Trust in God, carefully built over time, is a valuable and empowering character trait. The Bible says in [Psalm ‪9: 10‬] “Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Did God deliver the Israelites to a rich land of milk and honey [The promised land]? Yes, indeed! Their 40 years of wandering in the desert is a life-lesson for today’s modern life. Moses’s life story is historical record, not a fairy tale.

Desert wandering is a reality that we will all face at some point in our lives. Yes, at times we’re skeptical (not to mention spiritually immature) and have no patience to wait for whatever our “promised land” is — job, career, marriage, home, education, children, etc. Some of us have it completely backward when we say, “Show me, then I will believe.” God says, “Believe Me with trust, and I will show you.” [Psalm 37: 5] “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
We may think we are waiting for God to act, but in fact, God is waiting for us to trust him. With this in mind, ask yourself this important question, “Do I have the kind of faith [a faith that can be the size of a mustard seed] and patience that will allow me to embrace the waiting-period, by trusting God without expecting immediate delivery of His promises?”

Another more serious question to ponder this week – Where is the promised land that God hasn’t yet led you, and how might you get there?”

Maybe God has asked you to do something, and you’ve done it, but not only has your mission failed to unfold in the way that you expected, it has caused more headaches and delays. You feel apprehensive and doubtful, wondering why God does not want you to succeed.  God is not primarily interested in our success; he is more interested in building honorable character traits in us. He is longing for us to trust him. Even more, he is remarkably faithful to deliver on his promises in his timing.

 Let’s take a close look at how we treat our children. Do we always give our children what we’ve promised them right away, or might we wait until we see improvements in their behaviors? And would it please us to see them wait patiently and trust us as we reward them accordingly?

 Moses’s journey with God exemplifies the journey we have with our Heavenly Father. God told Moses, [Exodus 3: 10-13], “So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt…” God assured Moses that he would be with him as he delivered the message to pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God even enabled him to perform miracles and change the mind of both the King and the Israelites. As for as the Israelites, this is what the Lord said to Moses, “That they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you.” [Exodus 4:5]

 God not only promised his people freedom, he also promised them a rich land flowing with milk and honey. At first Moses pleaded with God to let him out of this mission. The task was difficult; it seemed impossible to convince Pharaoh to let go of the Israelites. Not only did the king of Egypt refuse to let God’s people go, he also gave them harsh tasks. Over the years, they faced trouble after trouble. It all happened as a result of their lack of faith and trust. They were grumbling, complaining, and blaming Moses for their misery. God did finally respond, not to their complaints, but more likely to build up their trust.

 Bringing God into your life takes effort. Trust in God, carefully built over time, is a valuable and empowering character trait. The Bible says in [Psalm 9: 10] “Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” 

Did God deliver the Israelites to a rich land of milk and honey [The promised land]? Yes, indeed!  Their 40 years of wandering in the desert is a life-lesson for today’s modern life. Moses’s life story is historical record, not a fairy tale.

 Desert wandering is a reality that we will all face at some point in our lives. Yes, at times we’re skeptical (not to mention spiritually immature) and have no patience to wait for whatever our “promised land” is — job, career, marriage, home, education, children, etc.  Some of us have it completely backward when we say, “Show me, then I will believe.”  God says, “Believe Me with trust, and I will show you.” [Psalm 37: 5] “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

We may think we are waiting for God to act, but in fact, God is waiting for us to trust him. With this in mind, ask yourself this important question, “Do I have the kind of faith [a faith that can be the size of a mustard seed] and patience that will allow me to embrace the waiting-period, by trusting God without expecting immediate delivery of His promises?”

 Another more serious question to ponder this week – Where is the promised land that God hasn’t yet led you, and how might you get there?”