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The Talking Bush
The Talking Bush
The Talking Bush
into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the
Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the
Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So
now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
It's a great story. It's filled with interesting details. It's a slice of history. But the question you are right to ask is: "So
What?" What should we learn.
For forty years Moses was in the wilderness. FORTY YEARS! By the time his "call" came he was 80! It might
seem that the best years of Moses' life were wasted. He had forty years of training in Egypt. At forty years old he
was confident, powerful, filled with energy and ambition. It seemed like the perfect time for Moses to make his
mark for God.
But God needed a different kind of person. He needed one who was dependent on the Lord, one who was
confident in God's promise rather than his own ability. He needed a servant not a celebrity. So Moses was sent to
the desert. Those years were not wasted . . . they were years of training.
Please understand, Moses didn't know why he was in the desert. He doesn't know the rest of the story. We can
only imagine what was going on in the head of this well-trained former hot-shot from Egypt. Did he spend years
pouting? Did he spend time in regret? Did he resent his circumstances? We don't know. All we know is that God
was waiting for Moses to be ready to lead? God knew the state of the Israelites but would not move until Moses
was ready to do the job right.
Think about this. Do you feel you are in the desert? Do you feel that there is very little that you can do at present?
It could be that you are in God's desert training camp. You may not know what God is doing. You may not see
any purpose in your circumstances. It could be that God is using your circumstances to get you to look at Him. It's
possible that He is working on your heart. So study hard. Learn well. As long as you resist, as long as you fight
Him, you will remain "on the bench".
The movie "The Karate Kid" is a good illustration of what we are talking about. Daniel wanted to learn Karate but
instead of learning kicks and punches his coach had him painting fence and waxing cars. He was getting
frustrated at the delay in his training. What he didn't realize at the time was that this was his training. He was in
the desert and didn't realize that the Master was in the process of molding him and preparing him to reach the
goals he desired.
Let's look at something else. Do you feel you have passed your prime? Do you claim you are too old to be of any
service to the Lord? Then maybe you need to remember Moses. He was 80 before he even started his work for
the Lord! Could it be that God has spent your whole life preparing you for such a time as this?
Maybe the Lord was putting you in a financial position to be able to serve Him full time
Maybe you were learning skills He could use in a great way
Maybe he was waiting for your audience or companions to be born
Maybe he was putting together a support system that would work with you.
Just because you are older doesn't mean that God is finished using you.
There is no better example than Christ's coming into the world. God saw our situation . . . He knew we were like
sheep without a Shepherd and he came down in the person of Christ, to rescue us. The timing was perfect and
the offer of salvation has been proclaimed throughout the world. He knows what we need. He knows where we
are. He knows how to help.
Our job is to turn to Him and trust Him. He has provided what we need and now it is our job to place our
confidence in Christ's work and not our own. We can dig in our heels or we can run to His open arms. We can
argue or we can rest. We can find life or continue to know frustration. The choice is ours.
It May be Dramatic. In this case it was a burning bush. For some people it may be an emotional experience, a
vision, or a dramatic opportunity. When these things happen we need to pay attention. Moses could have turned
away. He might have written it off thinking he must be seeing things. But that's not what he did. Instead, Moses
took a closer look. He was open to be instructed. What would have happened if Moses had not walked toward the
bush . . . . then we can only assume that God would not have spoken.
It May Not. But God does not always speak in this way. Do you remember the account of Elijah? Elijah was
exhausted and felt that the world was against him. He went to the mountains, ate some food, and then took a nap.
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD
is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered
the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an
earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the
LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he
pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. [1 Samuel
19:11-13]
God often speaks to us in quiet whispers. He may speak to us,
through the words of a child
a song
a sermon
a book
a gentle whisper to our ready heart
the counsel of a friend
circumstances
Late one evening a professor sat at his desk working on the next day's lectures. He shuffled
through the papers and mail placed there by his housekeeper. He began to throw them in the
wastebasket when one magazine--not even addressed to him but delivered to his office by
mistake--caught his attention. It fell open to an article titled "The Needs of the Congo Mission."
The professor began reading it idly, but then he was consumed by these words: "The need is
great here. We have no one to work the northern province of Gabon in the central Congo. And it
is my prayer as I write this article that God will lay His hand on one--one on whom, already, the
Master's eyes have been cast--that he or she shall be called to this place to help us." The
professor closed the magazine and wrote in his diary: "My search is over." He gave himself to
go to the Congo.
The professor's name was Albert Schweitzer. That little article, hidden in a periodical intended
for someone else, was placed by accident in Schweitzer's mailbox. By chance his housekeeper
put the magazine on the professor's desk. By chance he noticed the title, which seemed to leap
out at him. Dr. Schweitzer became one of the great figures this century in a humanitarian work
nearly unmatched in human history. Chance? No. Providence. [ Dan Betzer, Ft. Meyers,
Florida. Pentecostal Evangel. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 3.]
When He Speaks We Must Listen. Moses turned to the bush rather than dismissing it. If we are going to be led by
God then we have to train our ears to listen. In order to do that several things have to happen.
First, we must approach Him reverently. Moses could not hear unless he respected the one who was speaking.
Unfortunately, reverence has given way largely to arrogance and a casualness or over-familiarity which shows a
lack of respect to the Lord rather than reverence. As a result, people run after their whims and no one seems to
have a clear word from the Lord. We need reverence once again in our churches.
Second, we must be humble enough to be instructed. As long as we "have it all figured out" we will not learn
because we will not be listening. We need to realize that God can speak through anyone. He may speak through
the person we have concluded has nothing to say. He may speak through an opponent. He may speak through a
child. He may speak through one who's mind seems to be "slipping". We must put aside our foolish pride and
stereotypes and listen. If we are not listening we will miss God's whispers.
Third, we must expect God to speak. This is not an expectation that is anchored in arrogance. It is not a demand
that God speak to us. It is an expectation that comes from readiness. We must be ready to hear and to obey.
CONCLUSIONS
God spoke to Moses through something common, like a bush. He placed His fire in that bush and used it in an
extraordinary way. The same can be true for you. If you are willing, God can set you afire and use you in ways
you never dreamt possible. You can be His holy ground. But first, you must turn to Him in faith. You must receive
the provision He has made on your behalf. You must stop relying on yourself and start relying on Him. Chuck
Swindoll writes,
I believe there are many who have not responded to God's call on their lives--many who may
miss opportunities to flame brightly for Him, like a radiant city shining on a hilltop. I speak to so
many who are waiting for some kind of curious sign in the heavens, some engraved invitation
hand delivered by an angel, some wondrous, mystical moment. And all God is waiting for is to
hear you say, "I'm here, Lord. I'm Yours, thorns and all. Just set me afire." (Swindoll, MOSES p.
107)