God Sees
4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."
(Exodus 3:4-10)
Moses had grown up in the palace of the Pharaoh while knowing that he was a Hebrew and that those like him were enslaved. He had attempted to use his position to help and stand up for his people, but found that this only bred resentment. Moses didn't seem to belong in the palace or among his people, so he fled. He met the woman who would become his wife and was accepted by her family among the Midianites. There, he became a shepherd. It was while tending his flock that Moses saw the incomprehensible sight of an enflamed bush that was not consumed. From that bush Moses heard the voice of God telling him that God had seen the suffering of the Israelites and was coming to their rescue - using Moses to free them.
How overwhelming to learn that God has not only been paying attention to the plight of a hurting people, but that God has been making plans to save them by using YOU. When we look around at the troublesome issues facing us today - from climate change to gun violence - it can be easy to get exasperated and wonder why God doesn't fix it. But if we're willing to surrender to God and open ourselves to God's plan for us, we might just find that God wants to use us to enact God's rescue mission. God sees all, and God cares for all. The problems of our world are daunting, but if we each trust God to use us and to empower us to work where we are called, we
will see God's deliverance.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
42 For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord.
(Psalm 105: 3-6,42-45)
