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Intention

Turn aside to the One who is waiting for us.

Scripture

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

– Exodus 3:2–5

Reflection

This story (Exodus 3-4) is one of my favourite stories in the Bible. It is a unique moment that gives us insight into how God responds to us when we turn aside to Him. This encounter gives us insight into the heartbeat of our God and His desire for His people. And one of the reasons I love this story is because this encounter changed the course of history!

Moses saw a burning bush that was not consumed and “he turned aside” to see what was going on. When God saw that Moses had “turned aside”, God spoke to Moses. He called him by name. Interestingly though, in order for Moses to continue to draw near, God first stopped him and let Moses know that the ground where he was standing was holy. God wasn’t stopping him from drawing near but rather making Moses aware of the holiness of God. God was teaching Moses how to draw near to God. It was a posture of humility and reverence.

What followed is extraordinary. God began to speak to Moses and pour out His heart to him. It reveals that God is a God who sees the oppression that comes upon His people. He hears the cry of His people. He knows the depth of His people’s sorrow and He responds to them with a salvation plan.

We are to remember that God is a personal God ­– He is not distant.

God then commissions Moses, who feels completely inadequate and completely incapable, to be the one who would lead God’s people out of the oppression of Egypt. He was to bring about God’s salvation plan, lead them to worship God and then lead them into the promised land. Despite Moses’ personal fears, God comforts him and resources him to bring about the deliverance and salvation of an entire nation.

To put it all simply, despite how qualified or, more likely, unqualified you may feel, when we turn aside to God, He draws near to us. When He draws near, He makes us strong in our weakness, He reveals His heart to us and commissions us to change the course of history. You and I are called to turn aside to Him and then to change the course of history. Let’s encounter the living God, step into His salvation plan and change the course of history together.

Video

 

Prayer

Abba Father,

We are so thankful for who You are. You are the living God. Your name is Jesus – ‘Yahweh is Salvation’.

Like Moses, we want to be a people who turn aside to You because of how You captivate our hearts in wonder. We pray that as we turn aside to You in humility and reverence that we would encounter Your heart, that You would speak to us and use us to bring about Your kingdom and Your will here on earth as it is in heaven.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Author Bio

Josiah had trained in another field before the Lord called him and his wife, Emily, to plant a local church in the Sutherland Shire. Over the last couple of years, they have been building with the Lord and with a wonderful community, a house of prayer – a dwelling place for Jesus. Josiah loves family and is blessed to have two wonderful children.

Prayer Points and Purpose for GO 2023 in May

1. To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God. Heb 12:28–29
2. Pray that the Lamb who was slain might receive the reward for His suffering. Rev 5:6–14
3. Pray for revival for Australia and for millions to find Christ. Isa 64:1–2
4. Pray for revival for Israel and millions to find Christ. Rom 10:1
5. Pray for five friends to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May. Matt 28:18–20

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