THE BURNING BUSH

A sad little shrub once existed...

In the midst of the desert bare.

Its'heart was nearly broken...

And loaded down with care.

The fiery heat from the sun...

Danced upon the parched, dry ground;

And if you looked for miles...

Not a blade of grass could be found.

Here and there a scrawny shrub...

Struggled to survive,

And the little prickly bush...

Wondered...why am I alive?

I'm not so much as a home...

For the bird to build her nest,

And not with blossoms nor with fruit...

Have my branches ever been blessed.

I can't yield food for man to eat,

And I guess I was just not made...

To give the weary traveler...

Some rest beneath my shade.

The lonely little bush...

Whispered sadly to the night,

Suddenly finding itself wishing,

It could be completely out of sight.

And then, behold, one day Moses came...

Leading his sheep across the land;

The little bush burst forth on fire...

And Moses fell down upon the sand.

For God came to dwell in that little bush...

And He issued Israel's great commission,

So, from that time forth...the little prickly bush...

Has held down quite a position.

All the passing ages...

Have been lit up and truly blessed,

By the vision and the message...

That came forth...from the "little bush"

THE BURNING BUSH

Dear One, have you ever felt like the little BURNING BUSH? Are there times in your life that you feel as if God could never use you? Do you feel that you just don't measure up to God's standards? Maybe there has been something in your past or present life that you feel like would keep God from using you and the devil keeps reminding you of it.

Well, remember, being used by God does not depend on us but on God, Himself. The Lord chooses whomsoever He will to use for His good purposes. It says in Romans 15:4 That whatever was written in earlier times was written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures MIGHT HAVE HOPE. And I am so glad that our Father put the Old Testament in His Word, for it includes wonderful testimonies of how He chose to use so many of the Old Testament saints. And the really great thing about it is that He also includes their failures along with their successes, their sinfulness as well as their saintliness.

So whenever we feel unworthy or like the Lord surely can't use us, all we have to do is remember David, Samson, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many others that our Father used mightily in spite of their failures. Even Paul himself said in Romans 7:15& 19 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing.

It is so encouraging to know, our Father knows us, and loves us just the same. He loves us unconditionally, and if we but make ourselves available He will use us. Don't let your external circumstance get you down. Just like the Burning Bush, you never know when God is going to use you in a supernatural way, in a way that you never could have imagined. So wait on the Lord, wait patiently for Him and He will manifest Himself when you least expect it. The difference is that today He manifests Himself through His Holy Spirit. We have the indwelling Spirit and in the Old Testament times they didn't have that blessing.

Thank You Father, that You love and use us in spite of ourselves. Thank You for Your love, mercy, grace, patience, longsuffering, goodness, kindness, gentleness.....and the list just goes on and on. And thank You for the privilege of serving You.

Child of God, He loves you and He will use you, if you let Him.

God bless you as you wait on Him!