Ablaze

Ablaze

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.

MY HUSBAND HAS ACCIDENTALLY started two grills on fire. Luckily, we had fire extinguishers on hand to stop the blaze each time, but we were both a little shaken. There’s something about flames sweeping out of control that tends to make you nervous. Tim is actually an excellent grillmaster. But in those moments, I didn’t consider my husband’s expertise. Instead, my response was immediately fear and alarm.

I’m struck by the story of Moses and his own encounter with something set ablaze. In his case, it was a burning bush that hosted an angel of the Lord. Though I’ve often wished God would use a skywriting airplane or giant blimp to get my attention, a burning bush feels dangerous. It’s natural to feel fear. But Moses was also curious.

The Lord told Moses about the oppression he’d witnessed in Egypt, the abuse the Israelites endured. Then he called him to action. When Moses protested his ability to lead the people, God asked him to lay down his rod. As a shepherd, Moses’ rod represented his work, his finances, and who he was in that moment. And so, even more terrifying than a bush in flames was the call to action: Lay it down.

I have to believe that—despite his reservations—the blaze Moses experienced lit an answering fire in his heart. His encounter with the burning bush changed him. It’s one thing for us to hear the voice of God and another thing entirely for us to let it alter our future. Too often, we try to tamp the fire down, control it, or extinguish it entirely. Keeping the fire ablaze—and heeding the call within it to lay something of ourselves down—is difficult for most of us to fathom. Yet it’s only when we lay down our own proverbial rod that we’re ready to see what God holds in store for us. When we do, we may find an answering blaze lit in our own hearts.

Lord, may our hearts be ablaze for you. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: Do you feel like God has tried to get your attention in some way? What do you need to lay down in order to accomplish something for Jesus?