When God Speaks
Daily Old Testament Reading: Exodus 1-4
Daily Focus Passage: Exodus 3
God does not sit on the sidelines, watching and waiting for us to fail or follow. He engages us with his guidance, strength, and provision even when we do not fully understand all that is happening. We must understand that the Lord speaks to his children and does so with purpose. In Exodus 3:1-10, the Lord meets with Moses and engages him in conversation. As the Lord says, the conversation reveals essential truths about how God continues to speak to us and with us today.
GOD MEETS US WHERE WE ARE
God does not sit back and wait for us to come to him when he seeks to speak with us. He willfully engages us wherever we are and challenges us to join him on mission. God did not passively approach Moses; instead, the Lord took an active approach to the moment of conversing. The Lord pursued an audience with Moses and engaged him personally. When the Lord appears, we become amazed by his presence and desire to approach like Moses when he discovered the burning bush. Thus, believers today must notice that the Lord engages us where we are to call us to where he desires.
GOD SPEAKS WITH AUTHORITY
The Lord approached Moses with authority. He started the conversation with Moses by mentioning his name twice. This greeting revealed a compassionate backdrop with the moment of engagement. Though the Lord holds all authority because of his holiness, the revealing of compassion teaches the heart of God toward humanity. At the same time, the holiness and separated manner must not be overlooked. The Lord declared to Moses that the ground he was standing on was holy and then revealed that the one speaking is the Sovereign God who holds ultimate authority. Today, believers must remember that the Lord speaks with the ultimate truth. He alone holds the authority to speak creation into existence, and he alone is the one that has all authority to speak into our lives.
GOD ANSWERS HIS CHILDREN
The Lord informed Moses that he had heard the cries of his children in Egypt and had seen their suffering. These declarations reveal that the Lord does not sit passively on the sidelines of life; instead, the Lord actively works in the lives of his children. He responds to their cries and seeks to answer them. The Lord reveals to Moses his caring nature for his own and his desire to work in their lives. Believers today hold the same promise. The Lord hears the cries of his children and does not sit by passively refusing to engage. Instead, the Lord hears his children and offers them a response.
GOD CALLS US TO ACTION
When the Lord engaged Moses, he called Moses to action. God did not meet with Moses without providing a clear path forward to live in obedience. The Lord told Moses to go and carry out the task that the Lord planned and to be part of his plan. The Lord did not leave room for discussion by providing this declaration as an imperative. Moses will later attempt to excuse himself, but the Lord does not accept the excuses of humanity when he provides a clear declaration. God informed Moses of the task before him as a servant and instrument of the Lord. The continues to provide directives today. He calls us to go and serve as his instrument and to be an ambassador of his kingdom.
The Lord continues to speak today. Like he engaged Moses, the Lord continues to meet us where we are and speak with us with authority. The engagement comes as he provides the answers to our cries. The Lord provides us with directives on how to live life and commands us to follow them. As you think about the conversation and engagement between Moses and the Lord, are you speaking and hearing from the Lord?
