The Burning Bush – Exodus 3:1-4:17

But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”  – Genesis 4:13

If we’re not careful, we read the story of Moses, glossing over these words.  We jump to the exciting parts: snakes in Pharaoh’s court, the Nile turning to blood, repeated confrontations with Pharaoh, and the parting of the Red Sea.  And as we read those stories, Moses becomes so much “larger-than-life” in our minds that we can’t possibly identify with him.

And yet, here at the beginning of the story is something we can all identify with – Moses’ own reluctance to accept the call of God on his life.  Was it insecurity?  Fear of Pharaoh?  A desire and longing for the comfortable familiarity of sheep-keeping?

When we’re honest with ourselves, most of us realize that we’re more like Moses than we wish.  I suspect that most of us have, at one time or another, turned down the opportunity to fulfill God’s calling–whether it was teaching a Sunday School class, inviting someone to church, or serving in one of our local ministries.  The reasons are numerous: we feel inadequate, we’re afraid we will fail, there are other things we’d rather do, and quite frankly–we think someone else could do it better.

Instead of following Moses’ example of offering excuses and objections, let us be more like Isaiah, who said, “Here am I.  Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)