are you are expecting him?

Georgie Coster considers Moses’ encounter with Yahweh in the book of Exodus and raises our expectations to meet with him in our workplaces too

What was Moses doing when God appeared to him in the burning bush? Was he sitting with candles lit for ambience, coffee in hand, worship music playing softly in the background, and Bible open? In my mind, and perhaps in yours, that’s the ultimate recipe for quality time in God’s presence. But look it up – the very first words of the account in Exodus 3 tell us that Moses was looking after the sheep. In other words, working. Like us, he was in a caring role.

But before God spoke a single word to Moses, he made sure he had his attention. Hence the fire, because Moses was not expecting God to turn up in his workplace. Are you? Am I? We should be!

What might an encounter with God look like in your workplace? Hopefully, it won’t involve a burning bush because some of us work in hospitals and there’s a lot of oxygen! On a serious note, I wonder if some of us feel disappointed that God won’t turn up for us in such a way? It certainly must have been an incredible thing for Moses to experience. It’s easy to feel envious. But I want to convince you that in spite of the burning bush, the serpent staff, the water from a rock, and the parting of the Red Sea, you have so much more of God than Moses did.

You see, when God gets Moses’ attention, he tells him very clearly, ‘Do not come near’. It was a fleeting (albeit amazing) encounter in which God showed his power but forbade him from coming close. That’s because with no cleansing from his sin and no righteousness covering him, Moses was unclean. Can the same be said of you, Christian? Absolutely not. Jesus poured out his precious blood to cleanse you thoroughly from your sin. Jesus is your righteousness. That’s why it makes total sense that the Old Testament records God saying, ‘Do not come near’ while the New Testament urges us, ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you…’ (James 4:8). What’s the difference? Jesus. Emmanuel. God with us. So friend, don’t be jealous of the burning bush. When God turns up in your workplace, you won’t have to evacuate. But he does want to come – with the power of a burning flame and with an intimacy inconceivable for whichever Old Testament saint you long to be. He wants to be your Bread of Life, the Light of your world, your True Vine, your Good Shepherd. But first, he wants your attention. Are you expecting him?

Georgie Coster is a staff nurse in a Midlands critical care unit.