God Is With Us

Exodus 3:11-15 - But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"  He said, "But I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain." Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"  God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the  God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 

Forty years a prince in the palace of Pharaoh….forty years a shepherd in Midian…eighty years of experiences…some good…some bad.  Moses walks out with the sheep to the mountain of Horeb….and met God face to face. I can just see his curious face as he approaches this bush that seems to be consumed with fire…yet never burns up. I can see him cringe with fear and reverence….overcome with the presence of God as he hears the voice of God tell him to take off his shoes. And then he shrinks completely in himself and asks the question….Who am I? Who am I that you would choose me to be your vessel?

God never denies that Moses is correct in his assumption that he is not worthy of the job…God just tells him he will be with him.  God tells this man of 80 years…with all his mistakes of the past…with 40 years of hiding from his problems as a shepherd…to go back to Egypt and lead the promised people out of captivity and meet him again on this mountain. God tells Moses that the great I am is going to use him to complete the promise he gave to Abraham over 400 years earlier.

I have always loved this touching story…how God appeared to Moses in such an unlikely way…how he called this man for no apparent reason…and said….go do this great thing for me…and I will be with you. God calls all of us…just as he did Moses….and if you think about it for a moment…I am sure you will find more than one reason for God to have chosen you to do whatever job he has placed you in too.

 God has given me more than one job that I thought was unworthy.  The task of teaching seemed very unlikely for a child who struggled greatly in school…and made an embarrassing 15 on the ACT. But God was with me…and has kept his promise through the 10 years of schooling in took to be a teacher with a master’s degree…even the extra credits to hold the highest certificate available…and somehow have a 4.0 in those 6 years of college work.  Amazing!

And God goes before me each day now….as I wake each morning to speak with him…he empowers me with whatever I need.  It probably doesn’t matter….but I just realized that my shoes are never on as I write each morning…just a silly thought….for I know that my house is not holy ground. But God has kept his promise to be with me…and so I meet him each night to visit and read his word…and I rise each morning to hear his soft voice explain something new about what I read. I could never make it without him…oh how my life has changed for the better because I listened to his call…and continue to seek his will for me each day! 

Father…I thank you for your love.  You are holy and I just melt in your presence. I thank you for being with me…no matter what.  I thank you for choosing me to be your vessel….even if I am unworthy.  I thank you for washing away all the sin in my life with the blood of your precious son. I thank you for the moments that you meet me….and speak with me….and show me what you would have me do for you each day. Amen.