Burning Bush

There’s no question that life can ambush us with unexpected surprises both beneficent and belligerent. No one knows the agony or ecstasy that lies around the next corner. It’s a rare soul indeed who has never been drawn into the vortex of life’s vagaries and emerged unchanged. This is why we can easily identify with the story of Moses and the epic of the burning bush.

Here’s a man quietly going about his own business on the side of a wilderness mountain. Life has been a series of huge upheavals and disappointments, but he’s found a quiet family life with the Midianites. His biggest problem that morning is a wonky sandal-strap. Little does he know, as he sets out innocently that the whole thing is about to go pear-shaped. Enter, the Almighty.

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:1-4

Talk about unfinished business! Suddenly, the past you hoped to put far, far behind you is leaning obnoxiously on the doorbell. Remember me…your destiny assigned from the Lord? Just like Moses, it will happen to you. Everything you’ve been through, every lesson you’ve learned, every privilege you’ve been given, every stupid, selfish mistake you’ve made telescopes into alignment. It’s time. Your life, beautiful and brutal, has been grooming you for this moment. If the whole vision seems ridiculously disproportionate, be assured; God is summoning.

“Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:9-12

The Lord answers all Moses’ questionings about the success of his mission by promising him a confirming sign. He basically tells him “When you return back to where you started with all the troops, you will know that I AM sent you”.

I can’t speak for you, of course, but I have to admit that this is not the kind of supernatural endorsement and corroboration I’m looking for when I’m out on a limb. But by the time Moses is finished his mission, God will have manifested before him no less than twelve incomparable, never-before-seen-in-the-history-of-the-world signs and wonders. Frequently, God calls us to tasks and territories that we consider entirely out of our league. They look like an impassible mountain looming before us. That’s no mistake. It’s divinely ordained. So, here in this moment of my life, I completely comprehend the promise God gave to Moses about coming full circle. There’s a lot to be said for this kind of retroactive validation.

Last year, after much preparation, I launched my website. I began a blog. This may not sound world-shattering, but it transformed mine. This decision seriously impacted the tilt and velocity of my existence. As a dedicated Introvert, entering the stream of the Internet and exposing my life to the masses took all the courage and conviction of faith I possess. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you it was every bit as harrowing as the burning bush encounter. Relinquishing anonymity and entering the merciless colosseum of public forum was terrifying.

Blessedly, I had help on this strenuous journey. My sister graciously partnered with me into the voyage of the unknown. She and I, with no clue of website design, jumped in with a naïve enthusiasm only slightly tempered with trepidation. We simply believed we could do it. My sister, who cannot resist a practical obstacle in any form, seized the bit between her teeth and spent hours in tutorials, learning everything she needed to know about the staggering variety of technical details to be negotiated. Her bulldoggish tenacity dragged us through. I handled the creative vision, substance, and oversight with liberal doses of critique. Of course, we bit each other’s head’s off a couple of times, but considering that we were physically continents apart, and worked the whole thing over the phone and e-mails, the result was nothing short of miraculous. She was also the one to suggest the Blog, and I knew immediately, it was God-ordained; an anointing moment I had been waiting for without even realizing it.

So here we stand, on the mountain, as divinely promised. It’s exhilarating to look back over the landscape of this two-year process and see the successful fruit of our laboring. I don’t have many anniversaries to celebrate in my life, but I’m celebrating this one, and I hope you’ll join me. If you’ve enjoyed the mediations of the Blog or been blessed by the audio teachings, would you please honor me by passing the site address along to several other of your friends, who might also benefit? I’d love to be able to share what God has given me with as many willing hearts as possible. I also want to take the opportunity to thank my sister, and many others, for believing in the dream and putting resources behind it. I am truly, unspeakably grateful.

Come up here with me for a moment on the mountain, because the view of God’s faithfulness is spectacular.