Today I sense Father is speaking a word of recommissioning to some of my readers. I pray that you will receive His resurrection grace, as you read about one of His great servants—Moses.
We can spend days, months and years in transition, waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promises and His prophetic call on our lives.
- We are doing all we know to do
- We are taking the next small steps and being proactive
- We are being faithful where we are
- We are keeping our hearts right–as best we can.
And then suddenly, a God-ordained opportunity arises.
Surprisingly, instead of the desire to jump in to Father’s plans with abandon, we find ourselves uncertain—even resistant.
The story of Moses’ call at the burning bush provides us with a mirror in which we can see our own hesitancies—and what is at stake. [1]
It’s Time!
‘After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight… Then the Lord said to him, “…I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.”’ (Acts 7:30-33,34)
At the age of forty, Moses’ heart had been stirred with the cause of the enslaved Israelites.
However, since his attempt at fulfilling God’s call in his own strength, by murdering an Egyptian, he has lived as a fugitive in the wilderness.
Now, forty years later, God comes to him and says, ‘It’s time—I am sending you back to Egypt!’
Like Moses, when we are confronted with a sudden change of season, we find there are some inner obstacles to overcome:
1. Feeling Ill-Equipped
Each of us has a number 1 reason why we are poorly equipped to fulfill God’s call.
Moses immediately plunges into a discourse on his perceived inability: his vocal ineloquence. And yet Moses’ perspective and that of God are completely different.
What is a matter of inability to Moses, is of no consequence to God.
He says, ‘I AM… enough’
You might feel as though you are the most unlikely person; you might feel as though this is the most unlikely time. You might feel ill-equipped. Still God is saying, “I choose you! I’m calling you!”
2. Unanswered Questions
After all that time, 40 years of wilderness living and no doubt a zillion questions about why life had taken the turns it had, God suddenly shows up.
And I notice God doesn’t explain anything about the things that had happened in Moses’ life.
Like He did with Job, God simply reveals Himself.
When Father opens the door into our new season, He isn’t going to give us all the reasons WHY things have happened.
Because the answer is not a reason, it is a Person.
‘I AM… enough.’
3. Transition can become a Comfort Zone
‘When Moses heard this, [Pharaoh’s threats] he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.’ Acts 7:29
Emerging from transition can be difficult for us, because (ironically) our waiting places become our comfort zones.
The wilderness was Moses’ comfort zone. It represented his self-protection. It was literally the place he had gone to escape his problems—he was on Pharaoh’s hit list!
Moses may have found God in this place, but God is now making it clear that his destination is Egypt—will Moses join Him?
We all have coping mechanisms, places of retreat. These are the things that when God shows up, He puts His finger on. He says, you don’t need that any more.
He says, ‘I AM…enough.’
And here is Moses, having escaped from Pharaoh into the wilderness of Midian and still hiding from his past
And now God is saying,
‘That one who has oppressed you and that past that you are hiding from: that is what I am calling you to rise up and address.
And the very instrument that has been a weapon against you, will now be overcome by you.’
The Ripple Effect
He is calling for you to emerge. And His purpose is this: what He has been doing in your life, He is going to do through you, in the lives of others.
When Moses steps out in obedience to God’s call to emerge, there is a ripple effect.
1. It changes Moses’ life.
It completely shifts him – from a refugee, to a deliverer; from an alien in a foreign land, a simple shepherd, to the spiritual leader of the nation of Israel.
2. It changes the life of his family.
Their lives will never be the same again. His children have been brought up in Midian, and now they are incorporated into the tribe of Israel.
Because Moses obeys God, His children will see the Promised Land.
Sometimes we think, ‘Why is our family, or our kids, stuck when it comes to their relationship with God?
When they see us on fire again, they will move because they will be impacted by God’s presence on our lives and they will want what we have.
Now, the ripple effect starts to move out to nations.
3. It impacts the nation of Egypt
God brings judgement on the gods of Egypt that have persecuted His people.
4. It brings deliverance to the entire nation of Israel
5. It brings the fame of God to the heathen nations of the entire region
Did you know, that when YOU obey God’s call to move into the new thing, nothing is going to be the same again.
It changes you, it affects your family, your Church, it will even impact your community, your nation and the nations of the world.
Notes:
[1] For more of this story, read Exodus 3-4
See also the following post:
In Transition? Take the Next Small Step
Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Helen your message for today is so right on for me. I have a meeting tomorrow (Wed) with my pastor to go over a guideline he has put together for the new prayer ministery I am leading. Please pray for wisdom and courage as I step out. Thanks
Hi Shirley, how very exciting, a new season for you! I do pray that you have wisdom and courage and confidence as you step into this new role.
It reminds me of when I was asked to lead our prayer department at church. It was a new and big thing for me, but looking back I see how Father blessed and grew the ministry, the prayer team, and me.
2 Cor 3:5-6 says, ‘Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit.’
It’s wonderful to hear of your pastors involvement and oversight, too. This will bring health to the ministry and make it a safe place for you to lead and flourish in your gifts.
Be richly blessed in your journey
I have a feeling that God has taken too long to ‘land’ me. In fact, I feel I am struggling too much to have God’s approval but I am encouraged by the insight I have had by reading about Moses. I am also encouraged to be patient.
Thank you for opening my eyes wider.
Hi Rebecca, thank you for leaving a note. It seems that no matter how long we wait for the resolution of God’s promise or call on our lives, it always seems to be longer than it should be!
I can certainly understand. I was 15 years old when God called me to preach, and confirmed it through my own and other ministers at the time, but it has taken more than 30 years for the call to be fully released! The most important thing I have learned in the last stage of my waiting season has been that I already have my Father’s approval and that I don’t need to perform to earn it, and that He is a loving Father. I knew it in my head, but now I really know it in my heart.
He is so faithful, He will bring His promises to pass as we position ourselves and keep our hearts towards Him.
(There are still things I am waiting on, for example seeing a breakthrough in the area of praying for physical healing. I’ve lost count of the years I’ve been journeying in relation to that one, too!)
This post may encourage you http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/09/05/no-longer-an-orphan-how-i-discovered-the-fathers-love/
First let me say a big thank you for this wonderful blog. You have been ever so encouraging to me over the past year, which has been so difficult yet so fulfilling. You are right on the money with this most recent blog. Father has been speaking change in my ear recently and yes there has been some reluctancy on my part. Thanks again for your wisdom and experience you share with us all. Please add me to your prayer list as I step and grow into my new title as a minister. Uncharted territory can be frightening but I do love adventure!! You are wonderful Helen. Keep it up!
Wow Tonya, that sounds amazing!
I don’t think we will ever feel ready when God’s opportunity arises, for me it’s like a part of me wants to leap forward and a part wants to hold back! And that’s an ongoing tension I’m continuing to navigate in the many step-ups this year is bringing me.
I pray you will know His anointing, and grace (empowering) in your new season. Do keep in touch, would love to hear more 🙂
I have been in transition for a long time and now I have been comfortable in it. It’s familiar to me. But I can’t shake this burning desire in me that it time to leave and move on. I can relate to Moses. Thanks this was a great lesson and timely word.
Thanks for your note, Stacie. May this be a season of stepping into the new things God has for you, and of breakthrough!
Thank you Helen, I have been so afraid lately despite knowing that its time to finally step out. How silly of me because this is all i have been praying for. Yet the resources are so few to non existent and the goals and vision so large and seem so impossible that i have been wondering if i am even doing the right thing. I sometimes wonder if i am even hearing correctly from God, but i feel such joy and great peace about the new direction i MUST take, so why the sheer terror? I am so confused and feel so weak and tired, if that is even possible, considering the burning consuming desire to move into this new phase in my life/calling. That that even make sense? Any insight or advice in this mess of emotions is greatly appreciated please.
Hello Ursula, feeling afraid is very common ~ even to the great heroes of the Bible, look at how many times the Lord said, ‘Don’t be afraid’! ~ Joshua chapter 1 for example!
My best advice is to ensure that you are not proceeding alone, but that you have the confirmation and support of Godly leaders who recognise and affirm the call of God upon your life. My experience over decades of ministry is that this is a best foundation to succeeding in the call of God, even when it’s a huge step of faith.