The bible says, “Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn’” (Exodus 3:3). This is more like us; we don’t necessarily come to God because we love Him but because of the effects of being with Him. Most of us came because we saw how God blessed that family, and how He healed that person. We come to see what happens not because we love God. In that same moment, when God sees that we are distracted, He calls for our attention toward Him.
The Lord saw this happening to Moses that he is trying to analyse the burning bush, which could result in derangement, then the Lord called for His attention. This is what happened, “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground’” (Exodus 3:4-5). This is the first time God is talking with Moses.
What can be learnt from this? The first word that comes from the Lord to Moses was to restrict him from coming near Him. Remember that Moses is the prophet with whom the law was introduced by to the Jews. They were not Israel at that time; they were the children of Israel, meaning the children of Jacob. In other words, the law reveals God’s holiness and man’s unworthiness to come to God. But all what God did since the fall in the Garden was to show man His grace because He could even visit Abraham sit on the table together.
So the Lord told Moses this, “...I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the land of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and Hitttites and the Amorites and Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them” (Exodus 3:7-9).
So Moses seeing the bush burning and yet not being consumed is because of this; the bush is the picture of Israel in slavery, they are burning but not being consumed because the Lord is in their midst. If we put the Lord in our midst, our problems will not consume us. So what the Lord said to Moses is very clear that He came down to deliver them out of the slavery in Egypt. He was in their midst but they just could not see Him. So the Lord caused Moses to kill an Egyptian after learning that he was not an Egyptian.
This the Lord did so He can meet with Moses on the mountain where they could be alone. Imagine if the Lord decided to appear in Egypt in the midst of the crowd, some would believe and some would not and even Moses would be easily distracted, but as He appeared somewhere far from everyone, when Moses came to the children of Israel everyone believed. So my dear reader, put the Lord in the midst of your life, and all your problems will not consume you. You will be like the children of Israel as the Lord saw them.
The Lord said, “...Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob” (Malachi 3:6). The Lord has been in their midst all along that is why they are not consumed. The Lord loves to be in our midst. The Lord was crucified in the midst of two criminals on the cross, “And when they had come to the place called Calvary there they crucified Him, and criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left” (Luke 23:33), “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
In our midst, it is where the Lord wants to be. The children of Israel then, were in a foreign land which today can be typified by the sinful lifestyle we are living in. It is where we are not supposed to be, but we end up there, it is actually where everyone’s life began. No one can ever say they were never sinners, for the bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All means everyone. So all of us, sinned once prior to the acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Whether your sins are overt or covert, they are still sins worthy of judgement. So God, for Him to take the children of Israel out of slavery, there had to be an assurance as Moses asked for His name. Let us read, “Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they say to me, “Who is His name?” what shall I say to them.’ And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”’” (Exodus 3:13-14).
Here in this instance, the Lord tells Moses of who He is for the children of Israel. Remember, this is the first time the Lord reveals His name because in the times passed, no one ever dared to ask this question. What does it mean then? This is simply means that I AM the blank cheque; you will fill in the missing words. Actually, I AM whatever you want Me to be. At this stage, the Lord came to them as to buy them out of the market-slavery in Egypt. In this instance, the Lord is the Redeemer and Deliverer, in other words He could be saying to Moses, ‘I AM your Redeemer and your Deliverer.’
Today, the Lord has not changed to be this blank cheque to us through the redeeming blood of Jesus. He is still the same, He is still whatever we want Him to be. During this time of the Corona Virus, He is our Healer. During this time of the financial meltdown, He is our Provider. We must believe in the Lord especially in the absence of options that He will bring the solution. I know we like to fight and fend for ourselves, but the Lord wants us to cast our cares to Him. Why is so difficult for us children of God to do that today?
As you read this message, maybe you lost your income because of this pandemic, so-called nCovi-19, the Lord has not changed. He is whatever you want Him to be right now, to be precise; He is your Provider right now. Maybe you do not need financial provision but you are sick, be it cancer or HIV, consider the Lord as your Healer right now. Accept the power of ‘I AM’ in your life today. He wants to change your life forever, remember He is in the midst of your situation right now, you are victorious, in Jesus’ name.
I want you to be cognisant of the Lord’s inexhaustible supply, imagine yourself given a blank cheque of Mr Jeff Bezos, the Amazon’s CEO. You would buy a house worth, perhaps R13 million, buy yourself an expensive luxury car worth R4 million, take your children to the best schools in South Africa and maybe spend R7 million and maybe on other expenses you could spend a further R15 million, the total of this expenditure is R39 million. This is a lot right? But would it have made a difference in Jeff’s bank balance?
Take a look at this sad reality! This is only less than 0,003% decrease from what he has in his bank balance. Still unshaken! You thought you have spent a lot. So this is just an example, Jeff Bezos does not even come closer to God’s riches. But he is just the richest man alive in the world today with bank balance of approximately R1.7 trillion. Do not ever think that when we ask God to do something for us, He gets tired or He runs out of stock. His supply is inexhaustible. When you come before the Lord to ask, just ask in faith.
When you ask in faith, it is like you are kindling a certain fire before the Lord, it is like you are praising Him. Faith honours Him, while doubting dishonours Him. Imagine yourself having R2 000 to spare and your child comes and says, ‘Daddy, can you please give me R500, can you really give me?’ He needs it, yet He doubts if you can ever deliver. When asking in prayer, Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24).
My dear friend, this is your time and moment to receive the blessings from the ‘I AM.’ If you want to make Jesus your Saviour, I want you to make this prayer, “Father I thank You, for this wonderful Saviour Jesus Christ, who came and died on my place, He stood in the firing line, that I may not die, Father I thank You, now I know, that with Jesus on my side, I am well-protected, I am a walking blessing, because Jesus has redeemed me, from the market-slavery of sin, into eternal life, Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour for eternity, in Jesus’ Christ name, Amen.”
My dear friend, if you have made this prayer consider now yourself as a new creature saved by the blood of the Lamb. Heaven is your home; eternal life is your destiny.
Stay in health through grace and favour
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