Where Does God Meet You?

What do you do when you find yourself in the wilderness? Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, in the barren backside of the desert, when something extraordinary happened. "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (Exodus 3:2). The bush burned, yet it was not consumed. This is where God chose to meet Moses—amidst the ordinary and the desolate.

The wilderness is often where God meets us. It's not a place of absence but a place of presence. A place where God reveals Himself in unexpected ways. Moses, a shepherd in Midian, was called to a sacred task not in the courts of Pharaoh but in the silence of the desert. God called to him, "Moses, Moses," and he responded, "Here am I" (Exodus 3:4). This is the moment of encounter, where the divine interrupts the mundane.

The command was simple yet profound: "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). Here, God sanctifies the ordinary. The ground becomes holy not because of its location but because of God's presence. This echoes Joshua 5:15, where the captain of the Lord's host instructs Joshua to remove his shoes, recognizing the sacredness of God's presence.

God identifies Himself to Moses as "the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6). This is not a distant deity but a personal God, intimately connected with His people. Moses hides his face, afraid to look upon God. Fear and reverence go hand in hand when encountering the holy.

The wilderness is not just a place of meeting; it's a place of mission. God sees the affliction of His people in Egypt. "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" (Exodus 3:7). God knows. God hears. God acts. This is echoed in Psalms 34:6, "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."

God's promise is clear: "I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians" (Exodus 3:8). He promises a land "flowing with milk and honey," a place of abundance and freedom. This promise fulfills the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as seen in Genesis 50:24 and Genesis 15:18.

But God doesn't just deliver; He sends. "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10). Moses is chosen to be the instrument of God's deliverance. The task is daunting, yet God assures His presence. "Certainly I will be with thee" (Exodus 3:12).

The God who meets us in our wilderness is the same God who equips us for His purposes. The Hebrew word râ‛âh ^H7462, meaning to tend or shepherd, is what Moses was doing in the desert. But God was preparing him to shepherd His people. Similarly, the word chôrêb ^H2722 for Horeb, the desolate mountain, becomes the site of divine revelation.

God meets us in our wilderness. He sees our afflictions and hears our cries. He calls us, sanctifies us, and sends us. The wilderness is not the end but the beginning of God's purpose in our lives. So, where does God meet you? Perhaps in the silence of your heart, the chaos of your life, or the simplicity of your daily routine. Wherever it is, know that it is holy ground.

Let us turn aside, like Moses, and see this great sight. Let us respond, "Here am I," to the God who calls us by name.