How can we recognise God’s presence? Here Moses does what he’d done hundreds of times: he take his flocks to pasture. A shepherd is responsible for feeding his flock and keeping them safe from injury and assault. He’s in the shadow of Mount Horeb, where he would one day again encounter God for the Ten Commandments.
What’s true for Moses is true for us. As we engage with the everyday, God will speak to us. Perhaps not through an inexplicable, non-consumed burning bush, but always with the unexpected interruption that symbolises the Spirit’s presence. It’s one reason for patience in all things because if we hurry through those chores we dislike we may pass by God’s interruption unnoticed.
Hence, I have learnt to look for God in all my daily experiences from creating breakfast, to doing the laundry, to cleaning and stacking the dishes. In such moments we often encounter that still, small voice of God. The only purpose worth living for is the one God has for your life – and this isn’t determined by society’s preference for wealth or celebrity status. This is about uncovering the call implanted by God from the moment of our creation.
Happiness is never in accumulation; it’s in letting go of self and grasping God. This is what an anxious Moses encountered unexpectedly as he went about his business.
Related Scripture to Consider: 1 Kings 19:1–18; Hab. 3:1–2 & 16–19; Luke 10:25–37; Luke 12:35–48.
An Action to Take: Reflect on your life with God so far. At what points have you encountered Him and taken decisions that have impacted the choices you have made?
A Prayer to Make: ‘Lord, let me meet You in the everyday realities of my life and then choose what is right and of You. Amen.’
