At the center of even the most violent hurricanes is a calm space called the eye. The storm may stretch for hundreds of miles, but in the eye the winds quiet to breezes and the clouds clear to blue sky. In Exodus 3, we stand with Moses in the eye of a hurricane.
We’ve read about Moses’s stormy past. His family of origin descended from generations of enslaved Hebrews. His birth mother, hoping to save him from genocide, floated Moses into the arms of an Egyptian princess who eventually raised him as her own. As a young man, his anger flared into murder as he retaliated against the abuse of a fellow Hebrew. Then, fearing for his own life, Moses fled from Egypt and lived in hiding.
Even hundreds of miles away, Moses couldn’t escape the raging winds of his life. But God called Moses by name and spoke to him through a burning bush, a bush that remained unscathed despite being on fire. What a picture of extraordinary preservation amid destructive forces! God would preserve Moses and the entire nation of Israel from the Egyptians. “I know about their sufferings, and I have come down to rescue them…” (Exodus 3:7–8). God would call Moses to lead this rescue mission. But first, God gave him an experience in the eye of the hurricane.
Moses, unsure of himself and God, initially doubted the plan. His uncertainty is understandable. After all, hundreds of years had passed since God spoke with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses didn’t even know what to call Him, let alone how to trust Him with such an audacious plan. But God stilled the winds of confusion and unbelief when He spoke His name and His nature to Moses. “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (v.14).
The God of the universe is eternally present tense. He is the only cosmic constant. God does not change with time or circumstance. As He assured Moses, He assures us: “I AM” is with us every moment. No matter what harsh winds of hurt or regret blow from our past and no matter what unpredictable winds of anxiety or fear threaten to shake our future, God is always with us. We can trust that He is our center, our calm in the storm.
And God continues to reveal Himself to us. We can ask along with Joshua, “What does my lord want to say to his servant?” (Joshua 5:14). As we open our Bibles, God speaks to us right now. In His timeless presence, maybe we should take off our shoes like Moses did. Here we can feel the breeze of the Holy Spirit, see the clouds clear above our head, and know that it’s holy ground beneath our feet (Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15). “I AM” is eternally powerful and present. On this we stand.
I love that Aaron was already in his way to meet with Moses. Our no or uncertainty can’t stop God’s yes. God always makes a way!
Thank you to ADRIENNE, KELLY (NEO), ELIZABETH DODSON, BARBARA ISABELL, and anyone else who has been praying for my sister Leticia. I didn’t think the news would be as positive as it was yesterday, so I am amazed at how God answered our prayers. The surgeon said Leticia’s wound looks better than expected based on what the doctor told her, so thank God for that! And a little bit of confusion: the test result that said she had strep was from before the surgery she had last Thursday to remove the necrotic tissue, so I’m praying the surgeon was able to remove everything that needed to be removed and that the antibiotics will keep infection away until her wound is able to heal fully. Yesterday’s reading was a good reminder to me of God’s power and faithfulness to His children, and my need to trust fully in Him. Thank you, Lord.
Even though Moses was reluctant, God was faithfully with him. God will be with me even in my reluctance.
Moses is around 80 years old in today’s Scripture portion. He has spent 40 years in the wilderness with his wife and her family. Forty years as a fugitive. I can understand his lack of confidence.
I pray Lord for complete restoration in Jocelyn’s eye. God use this healing as a testament that you remain constant and hear the petitions of your people when they ask in your name. Amen !
I am blown away by the goodness of God. This message was for me tonight. Thank you for the living Word of God.
Lord, restore my sight. You said you made the blind, please restore my vision, heal my eye like only you can. Thank you for being the eye of the storm.
“God is always with us. We can trust that He is our center, our calm in the storm.” I really really needed to read this today. ❤️