Greater than I

This morning while reading through "A heart for God" by Sinclair Ferguson, I was struck by the story of Moses' encounter with the Living God through a burning bush. In however many moments the experience lasted, I saw a glimpse of what I believe every man is longing for - a divine encounter that bends one's identity and purpose back to a sure foundation - God Himself.

Gods' speaks to Moses; "Come, I will send you to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt."(Ex 3:10)  Moses was shocked, first by how God chose to show up and second because of what God was saying. I imagine Moses had flashbacks to his perceived failure in Egypt that led him to flee to Midian and the distance he must have felt from the Presence and Purpose of the living God.

Ferguson says, "He must have had moments - perhaps many of them - when he felt as though God passed him by...Far from enjoying the sense of God's presence, it is likely he was haunted by a sense of God's absence. His past was marred, his present was insignificant, and his future seemed relatively pointless, given all that God has invested in his life."

Then God shows up! God does the unthinkable in asking Moses to do something beyond his capacity. Moses waivers. God speaks into this inner turmoil and doubt, "He said, 'But I will be with you,'". Moses' inner frailty continues, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'what is his name?' what shall I say to them?"

God's response is a sure glimpse into every man's greatest need - An identity and a purpose that is far greater than any one man can fashion for themselves - an identity and purpose grounded in the "Great I am". "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say to the people of Israel, I am has send me to you.'"

"Every man dies, but not every man really lives." These words spoken by William Wallace in Braveheart, point to a significant truth when viewed in light of Moses' divine encounter. The men whose lives are lived to the fullest, are those who have discovered, explored, and remembered,  that their identity and their purpose is grounded in the person, character and purposes of the Living God. This man will be one whose life has influence both in the present and in the future.