Devotion 1

Have you ever been in the presence of someone amazing? That girl or guy you've got a crush on? A celebrity or athlete? Someone famouse, influential or admired? Most of us have had times in our lives when we've met somebody and simply felt overwhelmed, not knowing what to do or say. We were dumbfounded in his or her company; nothing seemed worthy of mention. After all, what could we possibly say or do that would seem as significant as he or she were in our eyes. So we do one of two things: The first option is to remain in silent awe, soaking in every moment. The second option is to try and force a response - one that is probably an embarrassing and bumbling attempt to interact with this lofty personality. Don't you wish you just knew how to act in those situations?

Have you ever felt that way about God? Like you don't know how to interact with Him? Like He is so otherworldly that He couldn't possibly relate to your life or care about you? Well fortunately, God proves over and over in Scripture that He has a deep concern for our lives and goes to great lengths to have a personal relationship with us! We also see pictures of how to best respond to God when He makes Himself known to us.

Exodus 3:1-18: Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. 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. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for this place whereon  thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by  reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children od Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith  the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, and that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my  memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying,  I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou  shalt come, thou and thy elders of Israel, unto the King of Egypt, and you shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews heth sent me with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey  into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

Did you notice that Moses was out shepherding alone? God just showed up in this literally awesome  way and said: I want to be known. I know everything about my people  and I care about them. God revealed Himself in a new way. This was a new level in the relationship between God and humankind.

Like may other stories in Scripture where people "meet God," Moses immediately responded in awe. But God told him exactly what to do, and Moses obeyed (removing his sandals to show humility and respect). How could Moses possibly put into words this indescribable experience for other people? Moses asked God how to refer to Him. God introduced His personal name for the first time: YHWH or Yahweh. This name essentially means, "I AM WHO I AM." (What else can you really say about God, right?) Moses wouldn't be able to put a nice neat label on God; He was simply too big. So God said, you can know Me as the One who is God. The LORD. (Whenever you see LORD written in all capitol letters, this is the treanslition for YHWH. Lord means, "master.")

Finally, notice God's purpose for rescuing His people in verse 18. That's right. The LORD said He wanted to free His people from oppression so that they might know and worship Him. Wow. So if He has saved you through Jesus Christ, He wants to be known and worshiped by you, too.

Today, think about the ways God has revealed Himself to you. Probably no bushes in your yard have burst into flames, but hopefully you've had at least a moment in your life where you came to a new level in your personal relationship with God. He knows everything about you and cares about every little detail in your life. The LORD will reveal Himself in amazing ways. When He does, don't force a response. Let Him direct your response. He's the Master, Lord and God. He is who He is. And He wants to be known and worshiped. So get to know God and worship Him in obedience to whatever the Lord says.