Take Off Your Shoes

Good Morning! 

Today I want to tell you about one of my favourite verses, one that has always caught my attention, even since I was a young teenager. Something about it has always spoken to me. 

It comes in Exodus, in the Old Testament,when Moses was living in Midian after he had fled Egypt.
He is out looking after his father in laws sheep when "the angel of the Lord appears to him in flames of fire from within a bush." The bush was on fire but it did not burn. As Moses approaches the bush, God calls to him. As if seeing a bush that's on fire but not burning isn't strange enough, it then begins to talk!! Hard to say how I'd react in this situation, but I guess when a bush starts calling your name it's only polite to answer! 


"Moses! Moses! And Moses said, "Here I am."
 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 

God goes on to tell Moses that he must go to Pharaoh and rescue the Israelites out of slavery. 

It is this verse that I have highlighted that so stands out to me though. It challenges me. 

There is a quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning that links to this verse, 

                                   Earth's crammed with heaven,
                                   And every common bush afire with God, 
                                   But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
                                   The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. 

The challenge is about our response. It is about how we view God. Who do we know Him to be?

I've been thinking about this a lot over the last week, about what it means, and about my own response. 

The basic answer about why Moses must remove his shoes is that it forces him to humble himself before God. It is a symbol of his fear of the Lord. I read in my Bible notes this week that "To fear Him combines reverence for His majesty with respect for His power." (Awaken, Priscilla Shirer). 
In this instance I think Moses must have had no choice but to have a healthy fear of the Lord! God met with him in a big way. In such a way that there was no denying whose presence he was in. 
Removing his shoes gave him time to prepare his heart for the meeting that was about to take place.

The second part of the verse also grabs my attention. "The place where you are standing is holy ground." Holy ground. Made holy because it is the place God has chosen to meet with Moses, to reveal himself. 

Looking back to the quote above, how often do we really recognise when we are on holy ground. Or at least when God is revealing Himself to us, is our response one of reverence and awe or do we make it about us and how we're feeling in the midst of the encounter? 

When we seek Him, and want to have a close encounter with Him, do we think more about the buzz and excitement of it, or stop and bow down and take off our shoes in honour of the King of kings and Lord of lords who stands before us?

I don't think Moses had a choice, God spoke in an audible voice and commanded him to take off his sandals and told him why. But just because we don't often hear an audible voice should we take it any less seriously. 

It's easier to stop in complete awe in those all encompassing, burning bush moments. When He feels close enough to reach out and touch Him. But what about the every day? How do you acknowledge Him and the holy ground you are walking on? The areas of your lives where He is revealing Himself in the ordinary? The details?

Obviously it might not be practical to physically take your shoes off, or get down on your knees, but how do you respond in your heart? 

I'd love to hear your stories. 

Thanks for reading.

Much love and Blessings

R x