Behold the Fire

I have always been intrigued by the stories of the lives in the Bible. Moses, David, Esther, Rahab and Paul are just a few of the heroes whose stories I could read over and over again. How amazing it is that after so many thousands of years their lives still speak so loudly. Lately I have found myself pouring over the stories of Moses through the book of Exodus once again. Could be because I have watched Dreamwork's "Prince of Egypt" 20 times in the last four days with my daughter, Joy. Its so fantastic! I find myself so emotional throughout the entire movie - every time I watch it!
It gives us a great glimpse of what the life of Moses may have been like from his birth to the parting of the Red Sea.

What I love about Moses was his ability to get so close to God. To leave all he knew behind and to refuse to go anywhere with out him. The scriptures boast of their relationship and how God spoke to him face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Ex. 33:11)! Moses did not chase the crowd but preferred solitude with God. I want to have that drive! The drive to change the world! I love what Erwin McManus writes in Chasing Daylight: "Even if everyone else around you chooses to sleep, you must resist the temptation to join their slumber." Reminds me of Ephesians 5 that shouts to us to "Wake up, O sleeper (spiritually dead), rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

So what did Moses possess that kept him waking up day after day chasing God and changing his world? Where did he acquire that fire? God pointed me to the beginning one morning in prayer time. I was crying out for a fresh fire and a fresh vision and I was wondering why some people were so motivated for growth in God and others seemed to remain stuck in yesterday's truth. Why did some seem to receive revelation like it was the day's daily dose of their paper's Headlines yet others couldn't swallow simple principles? He led me to Exodus 3 and the story of the burning bush.

I have read the story hundreds of times (well, several times) and something jumped out at me this particular morning. When Moses saw the burning bush, he was curious to see this bush that although was on fire, failed to burn up so he began to walk over. Verse 4 reads: "When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!'" I love the KJV that says it this way: ^4"And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, 'Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.'"
The language used here is key - to turn aside means to turn or withdraw from something: Moses left his current path and turned away from it to see, or to behold, discern, or consider the glory of God. It wasn't until Moses made this crucial step that God called out to him and allowed Moses to behold his glory.

What is the secret of intimacy with a God who knows our names? This desire to behold His fire! This passion that causes us to drop everything else to just be with him! It is not until we take this step to carve out moments with Him that He will speak to us and tell us mysteries that our hearts will hold forever. Its only in these moments that we can truly grasp revelation and gain wisdom. I fight to gain truth because its only when we discover truth does God give us grace to walk that discovery out. But we must remain fixed on Him. His love and closeness should be our main quest in life! This can be a battle with the cares of the world but I am so determined not to live a normal quiet life! I want divine moments, piercing truth, explosive revelation! I want to know the power of God in my life!

Anyone else game? Start praying for your God-sized dreams to become a reality and lets change our world! Woo - hoo! .......now I've got to change a diaper...;)