What it Means for Us as Christians That God Is Available

Have you been there? There now? Here is some good news.

God is not done with you. One more time - God is not done with you. He is not done with me. He is not done with any of us. God has not quit on you. He has not quit on me. He has not given up on any of us. God is still available to you. He is still at work. He still speaks and still wants to be known.

My husband Dan has been teaching through a series from the life of Moses that got me thinking about God's availability. Particularly from Moses' experience with God at the burning bush. Here are four key insights into God's availability from Moses's encounter with God.

Key 1 - Avoid being so consumed with life that you miss what God is doing.

Let's turn to the Scripture and pick up with Moses, who is still far from God.

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. "This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it." Exodus 3:1-3

Moses wasn't so consumed with his job that he didn't notice the burning bush. Now many of us might wonder what Moses has to be consumed with. He was herding sheep, which is exhausting, mainly because they would have had some Rams in it. Female sheep are called Ewes. Male sheep are called Rams. According to most farmers, the Rams are evil. While ewes (the female sheep) are generally docile, non-aggressive animals, this is not usually the case with rams (the male sheep), especially during the breeding season. Rams can be very aggressive and have been known to cause serious injuries, even the death of people. Therefore, a ram should never be trusted, even if it is friendly or was raised as a pet. It is essential always to know where the ram is and to never turn your back on him.

Moses sees this burning bush. Common sense would tell a sheepherder to move the sheep away from the fire. But Moses didn't let the business of watching sheep keep him from noticing the God thing. He did not turn away from the God thing. Instead, he turned toward it, which leads to the following key.

Key 2 – Allow curiosity to lead you toward God – even when uncomfortable.

Our most significant victories and achievements rarely happen when we are comfortable. Instead, they occur when we are willing to step outside our comfort zone. They happen when we take what little faith we may have and trust God.

Moses noticed something was up. He saw something out of place and unusual, a bush that wasn't being consumed by the fire. So he chose to move closer and find out what was going on.

The Scripture continues:

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied. The Lord responded, "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord told him, "I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt." Exodus 3:4-7,10

Moses had to be freaking out that God was speaking to Him. But he is also leaning in. So it seems to me that there are a set of God things happening around us today. An awakening of sorts is happening on some college campuses, in micro-church and church planting movements.

Don't run away. Lean in. Check it out.

Key 3 – After you begin to investigate what God is doing, expect God to speak.

There is so much in this passage. Let's reread a piece of it. So, we can take a closer look.

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied. The Lord responded, "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Exodus 3:4-5

God did not speak to Moses until after Moses began to investigate. Did you catch that? God didn't speak until AFTER Moses took a tangible step toward God. God often waits for us to move closer to Him before He reveals more of Himself to us.

Here is the challenge. We can get lost in our routine. One of my favorite sayings goes like this: "The problem with life is that it is so daily." Life in the wilderness as a shepherd would have been way routine. First, take care of the sheep. Next, find grass for the sheep. Then, find water for the sheep. Repeat.

A bush on fire would have been unusual. But what made it way unusual? What made it unique?

• The bush is not being consumed – it is burning but not burning up.
• There is a divine presence in the bush – it is holy ground.
• God speaks from the bush. 

Moses could have run away fast and furious. But he chose to move in instead. He chose to move toward God. What's the result of his moving closer to the things of God?

That leads to the fourth and final key.

Key 4 – Assume that continually moving closer to God will help you discover God more fully.

Moses discovers his purpose for the next phase of his life. Moses gets the next step of his life laid out because of this connection with God.

"Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt." Exodus 3:10

God being near to us isn't just an old testament concept. We see it all throughout the New Testament as well. As Paul was reasoning with a crowd of atheists and people of other religions, he explained that God put people in specific times and places during history. Check out Paul's words:

"His purpose is for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him — though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:27

James – the leader of the early church – said it this way:

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." James 4:8

Here is what it means to me:

God is as available to you as you are to Him. Take advantage of that. God is available to you as you are to Him. Check out the promise in the Old Testament that is repeated often:

"If you seek him, you will find him." 1 Chronicles 28:9

Jesus says this as well:

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Don't miss this:

We serve a God who wants to be found. We serve a God who wants to be known. We serve a God who wants to be discovered.

If you are far from God, it is because you have chosen to be far from God. If you are not as close to God as you wish, that is on you.

Draw close to God, and he will draw near to you. Take a step toward God, and he steps toward you. Of course, I can't promise that if you do this, all your problems, hurts, and pains will be solved. But I can promise you that if you move toward God, he will move toward you. And he will be with you as you journey through the ups and downs of life.

God is available. Are you?

Mary Southerland is also the Co-founder of Girlfriends in God, a conference and devotion ministry for women. Mary’s books include, Hope in the Midst of Depression, Sandpaper People, Escaping the Stress Trap, Experiencing God’s Power in Your Ministry, 10-Day Trust Adventure, You Make Me So Angry, How to Study the Bible, Fit for Life, Joy for the Journey, and Life Is So Daily. Mary relishes her ministry as a wife, a mother to their two children, Jered and Danna, and Mimi to her six grandchildren – Jaydan, Lelia, Justus, Hudson, Mo, and Nori.