Exodus 3:2
“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”
The call of God in Moses’ life may be one of the most well known. There are certainly different instances in the Scriptures when God called someone to serve Him, but none are as well known as Moses’. He was in the desert when he passed by a bush that was on fire. That was not anything different than what he had seen before. What was different was that the bush was not consumed by the fire. He stopped to see this anomaly, only to hear God’s calling on his life. Of course, Moses accepted God’s call and the rest is history.
Anyone who has surrendered to the call of God should remember their burning bush experience. Mine happened when I was a teenage young man. We were in a missions conference, and our guest speaker for the week was church planter, James Holder. I heard Bro. Holder preach many times before, but that night was different from any other night. He preached about Jonah running from the call of God. He told how Nineveh needed someone to reach them before God destroyed the city. Though I was not running from God, I couldn’t help but think of my nation that was seemingly going down the wrong road. My heart began to burn inside, and I couldn’t wait for the invitation to start. That night I accepted the call of God on my life. Let me tell you, it was a life changing night. The emotions and the excitement that ran through my heart that night were great. The burning desire to do God’s call was so great that I can’t express them in words. That night was my burning bush experience.
However, I would like to testify that the bush still burns in my heart today. For over three decades the fire that has burned in my heart has not quit. For over three decades the burning in my heart has not consumed me. The burning in my heart has not expended me. It has not destroyed me. It has not wavered. The fire is not beginning to go out. The fire from the call of God on my life still burns as hot today as it did over three decades ago. Through all the battles that I have faced, the fire still burns in my life.
Servant of God, does the fire still burn in your heart? I travel from church to church and wonder at times if the fire has consumed many servants of God. I am not just talking about the preacher, but I am also talking about assistant pastors, bus workers, Sunday school teachers, soul winners and anyone who is involved in God’s ministry. The fire seems to waver in the heart of many individuals. Maybe a battle has caused the flame to go out. Maybe a health condition has caused the flame to flicker. Maybe sin is causing the flame to be quenched. I don’t know what it may be, but we don’t need God’s people to lose the fire in their heart.
Friend, if the fire has consumed your life and coldness has set in, then may I beg you to get alone with God and not leave Him until you get the fire back. This world needs to see people who are burning, but not consumed. This world needs to see people who will set themselves on fire for God and not let the fire destroy them. Yes, Satan will go after those who have the fire burning in their heart, but you must not let that stop you. If you see the flame of your fire beginning to flicker, get alone with God and spend time in His Word and prayer until the fire burns again. Make it your goal to live your whole life with the fire of God burning in your heart, and don’t let that fire consume you.