Moses

Exodus 3

1Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father--in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. 2The angel of GOD appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up.
3Moses said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?"
4GOD saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
He said, "Yes? I'm right here!"
5God said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground."
6Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob."
Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God.
7GOD said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. 8And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
9"The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. 10It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt."
11Moses answered God, "But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
12"I'll be with you," God said. "And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain."
13Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, "The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, "What is his name?' What do I tell them?"
14God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, "I-AM sent me to you.'"
15God continued with Moses: "This is what you're to say to the Israelites: "GOD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.' This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known.
16"Now be on your way. Gather the leaders of Israel. Tell them, "GOD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I've looked into what's being done to you in Egypt, 17and I've determined to get you out of the affliction of Egypt and take you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, a land brimming over with milk and honey."'
18"Believe me, they will listen to you. Then you and the leaders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him: "GOD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness where we will worship GOD-our God.'
19"I know that the king of Egypt won't let you go unless forced to, 20so I'll intervene and hit Egypt where it hurts--oh, my miracles will send them reeling!-after which they'll be glad to send you off. 21I'll see to it that this people get a hearty send-off by the Egyptians--when you leave, you won't leave empty-handed! 22Each woman will ask her neighbor and any guests in her house for objects of silver and gold, for jewelry and extra clothes; you'll put them on your sons and daughters. Oh, you'll clean the Egyptians out!"
~The Message

I love the message sometimes. This story is one familiar to us all but it has so much in it. So familiar it was referred to in a conversation i had last night with a friend. I was upset, upset with myself and wanted to give up yet my friend urged me to look towards God. I replied to that i wish God would give up on me, notice my failures and leave me for what i am never to become what he wants me to be.

That was not good enough for him. He assured me that God would not give up on me. Look at Moses he said, he didn't think he could do it either. This is exactly the point of this story i would like to emphasize today. Holidays are a hard time of year, so much to do it becomes very stressful. Many of us have finals or whatnot keeping us busy if things begin to go wrong it's hard to be okay with it this time of year. Moses was not in a situation where he felt most comfortable. He ran away from home and was doing something he had never before done with a relativly new wife and baby. As he is getting accustomed to things God comes and says i have a plan for you.

God has been present in so many of our lives and to me it never seems to come at a convienent time. It's always when i'm in the middle of something or i just don't have the time. But God doesn't give up that easily. He knows us, he has a purpose for us and he wants the best for us (to be with him). He is determined (and dare i say more stubborn than even me) to be there for us and show us the path, weather we have wondered or not. He knows us for who we are, not who we pretend to be to others, who we really are. He knows our faults, our constant sins. Yet loves us anyway and has a purpose for us.

I know this time of year can be stressful, but remember to praise God everyday no matter how we are feeling because he always deserves it. He is always calling us like he called Moses, and he knows better than we that together we can do it.

God Bless,
~your sister in Christ~Erin