Make It Real

Moses encountered God because he let God get his attention, then went over to the burning bush.  Taking off his sandals on Holy ground, Moses had an encounter that would change the entire direction of his life.

The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.  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."  (Exodus 3:7, 9-10 NIV)

God was going to send Moses to free the Israelites.  Moses wasn't the only one who would be changed by God's encounter with Moses.  Millions of people would be set free because he obeyed what God had to say. 

The same is true for us today.  We are overwhelmed by God when we encounter Him.  We are changed for the better when we listen to and follow what He says.  More than that, other people are set free from the shackles of sin and death when we obey Him.

Moses, however, wasn't ready to just accept and follow God's word.  He had to struggle to make it real.  We need to make it real as well.

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:11-14 NIV)

Moses began asking questions about things God said that didn't make sense to him.  Some of the questions had to do with verifying that this wasn't just a dream.  Some of the questions had to do with verifying that he was actually talking to God.  Some of the questions had to do with his own fears, inadequacies, and just being sure he was understanding God correctly.

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?" Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you." Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous--it had become as white as snow. "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground." (Exodus 4:1-9 NIV)

God had answers for every one of his questions.  Not only that, God's answers removed fears, shored up inadequacies, removed roadblocks, and kept Moses moving forward to fulfill his part of God's plan.  God gave Moses everything he needed to do what God called Him to do.  Moses' questions worked through all those details so that he would move forward and do what he knew God was calling him to do.

We need to take our experiences with God and make them real as well.  We need to take the time to voice our questions and concerns in prayer.  We need to look for His answers in His Word and hear the still small voice of His Spirit.  We need to talk things through with others who are trying to understand and follow God as well.  All of these pieces help move the encounter with God into a real part of our lives.

Starting next week, this blog/daily devotion/email will be focused on Scriptures that go along with the encounter we had with God on the previous Sunday.  The Scriptures, devotional thoughts, and prayer prompts will be designed to help you take your encounter with God and make it a real part of your life.  Our small groups will also focus on the same topic, allowing you to talk things through with others, make more sense of His Word, and apply it to your life - making it all real.

Once we know it is God calling us to take a step, then we, like Moses, need to realize it wasn't just a dream.  This is real.  The real, living God, has told us what to do.  Now, we need to do it.