Enjoy The Journey
Enjoy the Journey!
Sometimes when I have to bring the sheep in for tails and tagging etc., and because I don’t have a sheep dog, I enlist the help of Di to round them up. I normally give Di an hour or so to mentally prepare for this , do her hair, put on the right shoes, the right hat, the right sunscreen etc. etc. And when I think she is already to go I normally say something like “Ok Di we need to go round up the sheep now, let’s go”. On the way out the door, di normally says something like “oops I just have to have a glass of water before I go, I wonder if I shouldn’t go to the loo first” Another 10 min delay. Finally on the way to the paddock Di would see our crazy cat, who would demand that Di stroke it and talk to it for another 5 minutes, by which time I have promised to get myself a sheepdog and perhaps some kind of calming medicine. Finally we get to the sheep and start the herding process when suddenly Di disappears. I turn around and there she is, way back, kneeling on the ground. I said Di what are you doing, she says look at this lovely flower! I said that’s a weed, besides the sheep don’t care and all I want is these sheep herded, let’s just get them into the pen, and then you can look at all the weeds you like! Let’s focus I’m trying to get the sheep in the pen! Please!
Surely everybody in the world knows this, we set objectives, and come flowers, cats, thirst or weeds, we need to reach our objectives as quickly and efficiently as possible without distraction! How else are we going to accomplish anything! Well if it wasn’t John or Glen asking me to prepare this message this morning, I would still believe that, and I wouldn’t have my eyes open to so many other truths that I want to share with you today
Exodus 3: 1-14 Moses and the Burning Bush
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 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. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 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[b] will worship God on this mountain.”
13 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?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
I would like to pick up on some really important points that we learn from this story, things which I believe can change your life. Remember what is said in Deuteronomy, The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever. The revealed word of God changes lives.
Take time to turn aside!
Can you imagine if Moses was like me and the objective was to get the sheep to the destination with not allowing for any distractions! Can you imagine what would have happened if he did not take time from his schedule to turn aside and have a look at the unsusual spectacle! Where would you be if you did not take time out from your life before you were a Christian to investigate the wonder and miracle of God’s word and so become a child of God! Or even to turn aside this Sunday to come to church to meet with God! How much poorer spiritually we would all be. Yet every day we should be turning aside to meet with God, every day we should be praepared to turn aside and marvel at the wonder of creation and know we are standing on holy ground. So often in our lives we rush from task to task, but God is saying Stop, get off the beaten track, draw close to Me, come and stand on Holy ground and know that I am God! How does God get your attention, do you stop to look at burning bushes that don’t burn up? Let’s not rush through life to such an extent that we cannot feel God tapping us on the shoulder!!
Do you notice that it is only when God has Moses’s attention that he calls out his name twice “Moses, Moses” He didn’t call out to Moses first! We need to give God our attention first then as in Is 43 God says “I have called you by name and you are mine when you walk through the fire you will not be burned and the flames will not set you ablaze” What does it take for God to get your attention so that you can hear Him call your name?
Every day we can turn aside… and do and know we are standing on Holy ground, where fire will not consume us! Take time to explore the marvels of his life, pay attention to unusual events and take time to stand on Holy ground in the presence of the Almighty!
The journey is as important as the destination!
We need to know that our journey in life is more than just a route from A to B. It’s part of the plan! When Moses had this experience with the burning bush he was about 80 years old- what a time to start a whole new life adventure in leading out the Israelites! The first 40 years Moses spent in Egypt and the next 40 years he spent working for Jethro his father in law; it would seem looking after sheep sometimes in the “far side of the desert”. Not what one call glamorous and sometimes I would assume quite a lonely job. Do you think sometimes he called out and said “God have you forgotten me?”- I don’t know. This journey of his would have a turning point when God spoke to him in the burning bush after 40 years of being in desert like conditions! The journey he had been on had taught him well, although he did not realise it: Our journey is our training ground.
He had learned all about the Egyptians in his first 40 years, how to talk to them, how to deal with them, all their nuances, he was not a slave or servant to them, he had as much schooling as the best of them, he was in a position to negotiate!
After 40 years serving Jethro in the desert like conditions, he had learnt patience, resilience, respect and humility. Key ingredients for a leader
Moses had experience in the desert, so he was ready to lead a nation into the desert. In fact he brought the entire nation to this very mountain where he had seen the burning bush, on the very tracks he had walked before. He could lead because he had the experience and the knowledge of the terrain
He had met key people in his life. Jethro was key to Moses success. It was he that taught Moses how to manage the nation in Exodus 18. He taught Moses about the sub division of authority, without which Moses would not have coped
What about in our lives, the journey we have been on, are we a bit like Moses where we don’t really appreciate the training we have had, the experiences we have had, often desert experiences, the people we have met and their input, or your input into others’ lives. Folks we are walking on Holy ground, give thanks to God for this journey you are on. Savour it, appreciate those God has brought you into contact with, don’t rush your journey and trust that God has a plan for you, Jer 29
We have so much to learn from Moses’s response to God’s request. In today’s world we respond no differently to challenges in our times! His response is one of total self-doubt- “who am I” Aren’t we the same? I can’t do this, I’m not good enough, I don’t speak well enough, I don’t have the ability or I am not qualified. Isn’t it interesting that in God’s response He does not directly address the perceived inadequacies of Moses, probably because they are irrelevant? He simply says in v12 “I will be with you..” In difficult and challenging times we are not alone! Isn’t it the same for us? Our ability, how rich or poor we are, how big or small we are, no matter how challenging or tough it is for us the answer is the same “I will be with you…” So what do we have to do… nothing…. Just seize the moment. Just step out We have heard this before its nothing to do with ability its availability. I’ll never forget when Di and I got engaged some 32 years ago a wise lady once said to us, there are two very important words in marriage and life and they are the words “yes lets”. Unless we step away from your comfort zone and step away from the beaten track, nothing will change. When you say yes lets, you too can lead nations, families and yourself to a land of milk and honey. If only we had faith!
So in closing what are the key points?
Let’s not rush though life, let’s enjoy the wonders of God around us, know that we are on a journey that is training us, for God has plan for our lives. Take time to turn aside, take time to turn aside to hear God and most importantly know that no matter what your situation remember the words “I am with you…”