ODJ: the far side
November 8, 2011
The angel of the Lord appeared to [Moses] in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush (v.2).
READ: Exodus 3:1-6
One of the perks of global travel is moving out of your comfort zone—running into things and people you’d never expect to encounter. I took a trip down the Venezuelan Amazon once, discovering that piranhas are real and that monkey stew isn’t a legend.
Moses was living in Midian, so he was a long way from home in Egypt. A Hebrew, he had killed an Egyptian he saw beating a Hebrew slave. Scared for his life, Moses ran. And ran. And ran. Now, 40 years later, Moses was a different man living in a place that was still not his home. In Exodus 3, we read that Moses had led his flock to “the far side of the desert” (v.1 NIV). This was a fitting metaphor for Moses. His life was a long way from what he had imagined. For 40 years, he had been on the run. Moses had forgotten who he was.
But God hadn’t forgotten. Moses noticed the odd sight of a thornbush aflame but not consumed by the fire. “This is amazing!” Moses said, “I must go see it” (v.3). What else would you do if you were alone in the desert and happened upon such a sight? As Moses stepped toward the fiery bush, God spoke from the flames with a warning. “Do not come any closer . . . you are standing on holy ground” (v.5).
Moses wasn’t looking for God and didn’t expect to find Him. In fact, further reading reveals that when God spoke, Moses didn’t like what He had to say. Moses had gone missing . . . for 40 years.
No distance or no stretch of time is too far for God, however. When God intends to find you, He will find you. The question for us is: What will we do once we’ve been found? —Winn Collier
In what ways are you on the far side of the desert right now? What would your reaction be if God spoke to you in this place?
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS FeedRelated
ODJ: hearing God
August 27, 2011 He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him (v.10). READ: John 1:1-18 One of the world’s finest violinists performed Bach and Schubert in a subway, and over a thousand commuters hurried right on by. Some wore ear buds or chatted loudly into their cell phones while others [...]
ODJ: be silent
August 19, 2010 Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near (v.7). READ: Zephaniah 1 Recently a friend said to me, “I used to fear how people perceived me. Then I discovered that Satan’s deviousness is something even greater to fear. Later, [...]
ODJ: judah and tamar
February 19, 2011 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar) (Matthew 1:3). READ: Genesis 38:6-30 I know a guy who doesn’t leave a very good first impression . . . or last one, for that matter. He’s conniving and selfish, a man of double standards. He makes promises that he has [...]
ODJ: Protect This House
April 1, 2012 Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? . . . Instead, you . . . cheat even your fellow believers (vv.7-8). READ: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 When Under Armour® wanted athletes to notice its new brand of [...]
Christian Courses
Day Of Discovery
Discover The Word
Discovery Series
Help For My Life
My Utmost For His Highest
Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Journey
RBC Ministries
WarungSateKaMu
Manasociety
雅米
I’m currently struggling with spending intentional time with Him. and also having Him to fight with the many other distractions in my life that are threatening to take the place of priority in my life. It is difficult to obey Him, and it is difficult for me to see that His ways are the right ways. So I feel that i AM on the far side of the desert right now. I want to go back when Jesus calls, but yet I feel this giant inertia to do so.
Will have to continue to rely on Him for grace and mercy, come what may.