Month: February 2026

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Trying to escape a calling.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses is the classic example of trying to dodge a clear, direct order from God. In Exodus chapter 3, God says, “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

“I am sending you,” and “you must,” is pretty straightforward. Moses, having a common, self-reflecting moment, asks God the BIG question. “Who am I?” Wow. That’s a really good question to ask under normal circumstances!

We now live in a saturated milieu of self awareness – it’s expected that one knows their own faults and failures and are also well aware of their ability to harm others. Not everyone is there yet, but the expectation is culturally common. Comments like, “I didn’t know I was a bad mother”, or “I didn’t know I was an alcoholic, are met with suspicious surprise with little sympathy. The underlying idea is “you should have known, everyone else did!”

Did Moses know he had deep traumatic issues that grew into a hair-pin justice trigger, causing him to often snap with rage? Was he aware that his speech impediment was likely caused by his perceived abandonment and identity crisis? Moses question went far deeper than just a question of calling or capability, it hit a nerve of apparent failure to be the kind of man everyone expected him to be. “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬.

God patiently addressed his question, but doesn’t tell Moses who Moses is or what he will become. God just says, “I will be with you.” Anyone who has struggled with mother or father abandonment issues knows how difficult it is to trust anyone! In Moses’ case, he wasn’t abandoned, because he was supposed to have been murdered by drowning him in the Nile. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, hid him for 3 months, then saved his life by life-rafting him down the river.

In a second volley of trying to get God to just move on and leave him alone, Moses asked God, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” Which is interesting because God already told him who He was, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” causing Moses to pause and reflect on his extraordinary heritage. Moses’ father was Amram, but it’s unclear if Moses ever had a meaningful relationship with him. Moses was a rejected foster son in Pharaoh’s family. Moses boldly asks for God’s name and in that tender moment God tells Moses His personal, intimate name – “Yahweh,” God says.

Yet, even after God tells Moses He will go with him and allow Moses to use God’s personal credentials in an audience with the Pharaoh, Moses is still not convinced – he truly believes God is choosing the wrong man for the job! First it’s I’m not qualified, then it’s no one knows me, now it’s – what if they don’t believe me. Moses questions his convince-ability.

It is here that God allows Moses to have a crutch, a literal shtick, a physical object lesson to carry with him to boost his confidence – the humble shepherd’s staff that becomes a symbol of supernatural power! Moses continued beg God to choose someone else, even reminding Him of his speech impediment. Moses, was not able to get God to completely let him off the hook, but was happy that God allowed his brother Aaron to step in and be the spokesperson.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a journey to convince Moses not only of who he was – a leader, but who he would become, a great patriarch and hero in Your grand story, It seems as though Moses did grow to be a man of great faith, but always carried some of his sorrows and frustrations of his early life as a Jewish foster son in the house of Pharaoh. I see many folk’s trying to escape their calling, even when You assure them that You be will them and use them in the Kingdom of God. Thank you for your patience with all of us!

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Hello, my name is…

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. 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: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Of course this total scene out of Exodus 3 is a spectacular moment on so many levels. The miraculous meeting between God and Moses out in the middle of nowhere. This actual, physical conversation with God and Moses. Abram also had a conversation with God, 430 years earlier. But unlike Moses, God introduced himself to Abram with one of His attributes, El Shaddai, God Almighty, not a personal name.

God enlists Moses to go before Pharoah and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses, never forgetting the authority structures of his past life, not only wants to know who he is speaking to, he also wants the Pharaoh to know who he is working for. As an emissary, it would be proper to tell the Pharaoh who he represents. And, when the Israelites demand to know who is speaking on their behalf, Moses would also tell them.

It isn’t unusual for Moses to think, that the Pharaoh or the leaders of the Israelites would have no idea who Moses was at all. “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”” “God answered, “I will be with you.’” Moses reply still sounds legit. It doesn’t sound dodgy or disrespectful! Okay, so Moses tells the Israelite leaders, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” like some kind of clandestine code phrase. Moses says to God… they still will ask, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?””

Moses is standing barefooted, in front of a supernatural, unconsumed fiery bush, and is having a conversation with THE creator of all things, THE God of gods. And God is so patient with him!

But then, God speaks His name to Moses. God speaks His personal, intimate name for the first time in recorded human history. Granted, we see God’s title and personal name show up in Genesis 2:4, “LORD God” (elohim Yhvh). But this is God introducing Himself and letting Moses know who He is and by what authority He sends Moses in to go before Pharaoh and speak on behalf of His people. What a powerful, beautiful moment.

God says, “this is me, I AM eternal.” Of course we know that Moses needed much more convincing, but God was allowing Himself to be known by Moses and gets really close to knowing the God who walks with man, not in the garden of beauty and perfection, but the desert of desolation and brokenness!

God began a conversation with Moses that would last for 40 years. And it was so unique and precious that God personally buried Moses when he died! “The LORD buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.” Deuteronomy 34:6. It is so exciting to think of this kind of life NOW and LATER with God. Now, because of Jesus, we can directly talk to our Abba Father through the Holy Spirit. But later, in a new heaven and new earth, with resurrected brand new bodies, we will walk and talk with Yahweh. As it was in the beginning, it will be in the end that lasts forever!

Prayer

​Dad,
I absolutely love talking with you (and listening too)! To know you, to love you, as well as being known and loved by you is beyond words. I really like the intimacy found in your relationship with well known Bible characters because it shows both who You are as well as who we are. I can’t wait to catch up with each and every one of those moments with those who lived their life ages ago and see Your glory in their lives one day in heaven. Thank you for your loving mercy that allows me to be your son.

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A Valuable Harvest,

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” ‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After James roasts the rich, he quickly shifts to Jesus’ return. Asking the church to be patient. He, along with the other New Testament writers absolutely believed Jesus would return in that first century. Why? Because the world, the culture surrounding them at that time, was in total chaos! So much was shifting, and it was all happening so fast. Every “sign of the times,” was signaling that Christ’s return was imminent. But Jesus did not return then!

James makes such an interesting comparison to why we must be patient. He uses a common agricultural illustration to help us understand why patience is necessary. Because the farmer is, thus we are, eager to see the valuable harvest to ripen. The NLT translation really had me thinking that James was referring to the salvation of human souls when it says, “valuable harvest.” But, looking at the direct Greek translation, James isn’t writing about souls that need saving, he’s writing about our own spiritual growth and maturity!

James is saying that Eschatology (studying end times) should drive our ethics – our moral behaviors, not our escape plans. Life here isn’t disposable, even though it’s brief, it should be intentional to our formation of Christ’s character. The act of waiting patiently is active, not at all passive about our growth. Christian hope has never been escapism, it’s faithfulness! And suffering doesn’t become meaningless. Suffering becomes the milieu, the soil where we grow. Jesus’ coming is God keeping His promises of justice and completion. It’s not the abandonment of this world, it’s the fulfillment!

Here’s a great thought not of my own, “James doesn’t say, ‘Hang on until you get out of here.’ He says, ‘Because Jesus is coming, let God grow something in you here; something worth harvesting.’” Our own soul’s development is the valuable harvest. We feel like the “parousia,” the coming of the Lord, should be seen as a rescue operation, but it’s really culmination of a celebration, like the bridegroom arriving for the wedding of his beloved. In James’ mind, we are the farmer and our character, our maturity, is the valuable harvest ripening.

Prayer

Dad,
You ​are serious about both the redemption of the wayward, broken soul, but you are also purposeful about our soul’s development, growth and maturity. And the waiting is not a punishment, nor a lesson in pain, it is for our own good! When we cry, “maranatha,” come quickly Lord Jesus, it should be out of an eagerness of seeing things wrap up well, like a great scene of a movie, where there is celebration – because it all comes together and makes sense. I want to be a good farmer who is patient, watching my own character grow to that perfect ripeness, so I can bring my best to you at your coming.

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Supernatural Curiosities.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it. ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses is out doing his thing, taking his father-in-laws flock far out into the wilderness. A dry, desolate desert. Moses had left the modern lifestyle of the big city, to now live as a nomadic. The desert has some unique advantages to focus and settle the soul. It’s quiet. Blissfully, deafeningly quiet. The other one is that you can see for miles.

An angel of the Lord, a theophany (Jesus showing up in the Old Testament). showed up in a blazing fire. Fires in the desert are not unusual, but this one was unique. This fire burned in a bush but did not consume it. I like to think that fire was an excellent way to get the attention of a man because there’s a little bit of a pyro in all of us! I love what happened next. Moses thought this strange phenomenon was amazing. But more than that, it made him talk to himself saying, “WHY?” Why isn’t the bush being consumed? It was more than amazement, it was CURIOSITY! Oh the things we see but don’t understand. Many are peaked by curiosity but don’t pursue it. Moses wanted to investigate it further – he had to get a closer look.

We learn that as Moses approached the bush, a voice comes out of it, calling his name along with a warning. The voice says, STOP, take off your sandals because you’re on holy ground. What follows is a one-of-a-kind interaction between God and Moses. The day had come when God would reveal Moses’s purpose in life. Moses would never be the same. This reminds me that God is always at work, always looking for someone who will see, be curious and investigate. God is always looking to share His purposes with us and for us. Moses wasn’t unique in this, but it’s encouraging to know that he came from a slave family, foster-cared and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. He was educated and learned from the most advanced culture of its time. Moses also had major anger/justice issues that caught up with him when he murdered an Egyptian officer for mistreating an Israelite. All this ended by getting him exiled out of Egypt. He was 40 years old when he fled from Egypt and spent another 40 years in Midian before encountering God at the burning bush. The number 40 appears frequently throughout the Bible, often associated with periods of trial, testing, and preparation.

This major turning point in the desert started with God getting his attention and letting his curiosity drive him to discover what this supernatural moment would mean. I more strongly believe in providence and no longer see anything as coincidence. I also more quickly realize when God has something for me in everyday amazing moments.

Prayer

​Dad,
I see you working in so many ways that used to escape me. I was too busy, too self absorbed or just too stressed. I am thankful you still amaze us. And, I am so thankful you created us to be curious and open to learning from you.