We see an extraordinary transformation of Moses take place in the Bible. Not only is this transformation a wonder to read about, but it is something that can happen for you and me as well. And it can only happen through God.
First, let’s look at how Moses transformed. You can see this incredible change in Moses by comparing two big events in his life: The Burning Bush and the Red Sea event.
At the Burning Bush, we know God gives Moses the difficult task of confronting the Egyptian Pharaoh. The response of Moses is a fearful, insecure request for God to send someone else, as Moses believes that he would not do this job well. (For more of this story, read Exodus 3)
In Exodus 14:14, Moses is faced with an even more impossible task to lead the Israelites to safety with the Egyptian army closing in on them and a body of water before them. However, the response of Moses this time is different. This time, Moses looks into the eyes of more than 2 million Israelites and tells them, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still!”
This was his response to the shouts of fear after they looked back to see the Egyptian army coming after them. Their only escape was blocked by the Red Sea. (For more of this story, read Exodus 13:17-14:31)
The trust Moses has in the Lord as he and the Israelites are trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian soldiers is profound. This is even more striking when we recall the opposite response of Moses speaking with God at the Burning Bush on Mt. Horeb. At that time, Moses provided excuses as to why he would fail, but at the Red Sea, he provided a reason why he would succeed.
What took place in Moses to allow for this drastic change from his attitude at the Burning Bush to his confidence at the Red Sea?
We ask this question because this is what we want. We want profound trust in God so that we can be still with Him while He fights for us. To grow in this trust, we need to recognize that God is bigger than all the issues that we could ever deal with. He can handle anything we encounter.
It’s interesting to note that Moses’ excuses at the Burning Bush all revolved around himself and how he was not good enough, but his response to the Israelites at the Red Sea was about how God was enough. It shows us a shift from Moses’ dependence on himself to his dependence on God, which is our first clue to how we can experience a similar transformation to the one Moses had. What else must take place?
How Moses Grew in His Trust of God
We need what took place for Moses to take place for us. How can we follow in his footsteps? We can imitate Moses by working on the following:
- Seek a deeper relationship with God by speaking to Him in your heart every day.
- Remember everything you see God do for you and through you.
This is precisely what Moses did between the moments at the Burning Bush and the Red Sea. He grew in his relationship with God, as Scripture gives us many examples of God and Moses speaking together through prayer. Moreover, Moses pays attention and remembers all that the Lord does for him during this time.
How to Seek A Deep Relationship with God
To seek a deep relationship with God, keep certain steps in mind. These will allow us to meet God and cultivate a relationship with Him.
Some steps that Moses took include:
- Spend time with God in prayer, as Moses did many times after he met God at the Burning Bush. You can set an alarm on your phone for a dedicated time to spend with God. You can talk to Him like you would to your mom or best friend. Or you don’t need to say anything at all. Just carve out ten minutes where you think about God and how He is present to you. Be sure to give Him time to speak to you as well.
- Do hard things for God, just like Moses did in going before the Pharaoh. However, you don’t need a prompt from God in a miraculous setting. You can offer Him any difficult task you do. Simply tell God you will do it for Him. Just saying that is enough. This will show Him that you love Him and are intentionally seeking Him.
- Learn about who God is, Moses simply asked for God’s Name and was told “I Am.” We can ask Him in prayer to share with us about Who He Is as well and expect tremendous results. We can also learn about who God is through reading about Him in the Bible and other spiritual writings.
Remembering What God Does
Remembering what God does is important, because this allows trust to build. When we forget what the Lord has done for us and others, then we are more likely to let doubt consume our hearts in the face of difficulty. We need to imitate Moses in every difficulty and recall God’s saving deeds. For Moses, by recalling these deeds of God, he was able to reassure the Israelites in their distress.
What did God do? It’s more than we realize. It’s more significant than turning Moses’ staff into a snake to devour the snakes of the Egyptian soothsayers, more than turning the Nile to blood, bringing forth swarms of locusts and frogs, blocking out the sun for three days, and all the other plagues. He kept His promise to Moses in helping him and the Israelites escape. God was faithful.
God showed up in a big way for Moses, which he could not ignore or forget. He saw God’s power and His fidelity to His people. This allowed Moses to trust without a doubt that God would continue His pattern of showing up when needed.
We can apply this same pattern to our own lives, for at least two reasons. First, we too are a part of the rich history found in the pages of the Bible. Those are our people from whom we spiritually descend. Second, we all have moments where God has showed up for us as well. It might take some time of reflection, but those moments are there.
Of course, there are times when we feel like God did not show up, when it seemed like He was not faithful, and this can be very hard to consider. For many of these moments, with more honest reflection, we can discover that by not getting what we wanted, God did show up. We can see that what happened was truly better for us, and we were able to find something greater in the unexpected.
In other moments, we can see that for the sake of our free will, God allowed others to choose horrible things that damage themselves and others. God allows this for the sake of free will, which is necessary for love, and yet He will still bring good out of it for the sake of those who have been hurt.
Taking these steps to imitate Moses and seek the same transformation that he experienced will not be easy and will take daily dedication. However, the dedication will pay off. Remember to keep in mind that it is truly the Lord who brings about transformation and not your own talents and qualities. Then you will see the amazing things that God can bring about through an open heart that hopes in Him.
