January 26 - From “i am” to “I AM”
The real life of Moses did not begin with his birth, nor when he had grown up, it began with the burning bush and the calling of God. Before that, he tried to save his own people by his own power. He had grown up, he looked, he saw, he looked this way and that, he struck down the Egyptian, he hid the body in the sand and eventually he fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. He thought that this “i am” could have a choice of his own destiny, but the challenge from his fellow Hebrew said it well, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?”
Moses could not go ahead of God and do whatever he pleased, even though it was the same mission and the same goal. God had to call him and give him the mission. If you went ahead and did it, you would be responsible; but if God told you to do it, then He would be responsible. It is just that simple. So this “i am” had to meet with the great “I AM” to know who He is and to receive His calling for his life. Like so many of us, Moses had the zeal and the “Messiah complex”, his “passion” for his fellow Hebrews propelled him to act before God even told him to.
While tending the flock of his father-in-law, Moses came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of God appeared to him in a burning bush that was not consumed and the voice of God came to him from the burning bush. He called his name and introduced Himself as the great “I AM”. He said, “I AM the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” God revealed His holiness to him and told him to remove his sandals for he was standing on holy ground. Moses had to hide his face for he was afraid of God’s holiness.
So Moses, before he received his mission in life, first came to know God’s holiness and His name. Then the Lord gave him his destiny, telling him in detail of his mission and what he was supposed to do. God’s call always begins with who He is. In Moses’ case, God revealed His plan to save the Israelites in this sequence: “I AM …. I know …. I come …. I will”. It was all about what God was going to do and Moses is only His instrument to accomplish His plan. That is why God said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve me on this mountain.”
When God calls us to a mission, the great “I AM” will be with this small “i am”. He will reveal His plan for our life and at the end of the mission, we would have known that God has sent us and we shall worship Him who has brought about what He has called us to do.
What state are you in today, pre-bush or post-bush?
Ps 17:1-5 Exo 2:11-3:22 Matt 17:10-27 Prov 5:7-14