May I have your attention please

Moses’ encounter at the burning bush begins with an interruption. Moses is just tending sheep, doing the regular thing, when God puts something before him that makes him stop and look. God does not speak until Moses turns aside, and that picture presses the need to slow down, put things in park, and give God full attention. Psalm 46 says, “Be still and know that I am God,” because a life filled with distractions can leave God’s voice sounding like static on a radio not tuned to the right frequency.

God’s voice comes through His written Word and through the Holy Spirit living in born-again believers. Samuel shows that hearing God takes learning. Samuel hears the Lord calling but does not recognize the voice at first, until Eli tells him, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” That response cannot mean, “Tell me only what I want to hear.” God brings blessing, but God also brings correction, calls people to start things, and calls people to stop things.

Moses’ question, “Who am I?” reveals the insecurity that rises when God calls somebody into something uncomfortable. God does not answer by telling Moses how talented, strong, or qualified he is. God says, “I will be with you.” The call is not about Moses being enough. The call is about God being present and doing through Moses what Moses could never do by himself. Ephesians 2:10 declares that God created His people in Christ Jesus for good works prepared beforehand, which means each life has purpose and was born on purpose.

Moses’ questions become a problem when they turn into excuses. “Who am I?” becomes “Who are You?” Then “What if they don’t believe me?” becomes “I can’t speak,” and finally, “Please send somebody else.” Questions that seek understanding can lead to faith. Questions that protect comfort become disobedience. God answers Moses by turning his eyes away from himself and back to the great “I AM.”

The staff in Moses’ hand shows that God can use what looks ordinary. A simple stick becomes a sign of God’s power when it is placed in God’s hands. The little boy’s fish and bread become enough for thousands when Christ takes them. A testimony, time, voice, willingness, and life may look small, but God can do far more with them than a person could ever imagine. The right response is not “Who me?” or “I can’t,” but “Here am I.” God calls His people to quit giving excuses and step out in faith.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Stillness makes room for God’s voice. God does not stop speaking, but distracted hearts often fail to hear Him. Moses had to turn aside from the regular routine before God called his name. Quiet time with God is more than talking at Him; it is becoming still enough to listen. [49:34]
• 2. God calls ordinary people with purpose. Moses looked at his weakness, but God looked at the purpose for which He had made him. God’s call does not depend on natural talent, age, past mistakes, or self-confidence. God’s presence is the real answer to every “Who am I?” [61:05]
• 3. Questions must not become excuses. Moses began by asking honest questions, but fear eventually led him to say, “Please send somebody else.” Faith asks God for understanding while remaining ready to obey. Excuses use unanswered questions as a way to stay comfortable. [67:00]
• 4. God uses what is already available. Moses held only a staff, yet God turned that ordinary tool into something powerful. Christ took a small lunch and fed a multitude. God can use a testimony, a phone call, a voice, time, or simple willingness when those things are placed in His hands. [70:39]
• 5. Obedience begins with today’s response. God’s nudges are often delayed by “tomorrow,” fear of people’s opinions, or the hope that somebody else will do it. God may be calling someone to encourage another person, share Christ, serve, start something, or surrender something. Faith takes the next obedient step today.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:36] - May I Have Your Attention Please?
• [37:21] - Moses and the Burning Bush
• [41:53] - God Still Calls People
• [46:05] - Stop and Listen
• [50:06] - Samuel Learns God’s Voice
• [57:28] - Who Am I?
• [61:05] - I Will Be With You
• [65:31] - Questions or Excuses?
• [68:35] - What Is in Your Hand?
• [72:05] - Here Am I
• [73:38] - What Does Obedience Look Like Today?

Bible Reading

Exodus 3:1-15
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” [37:21]

Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” [46:56]

1 Samuel 3:1-10
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” [50:06]

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [59:39]

Observation questions

1. What was Moses doing before he saw the burning bush, and what did he choose to do when he noticed that the bush was burning but not being consumed? [47:43]
2. In Exodus 3, what does God say He has done concerning the suffering of His people in Egypt before He tells Moses to go to Pharaoh?
3. How does Moses answer God’s call, and what answer does God give to Moses’ question, “Who am I?” [01:01:05]
4. In 1 Samuel 3, how many times does Samuel mistake God’s voice for Eli’s voice, and what does Eli finally tell Samuel to say? [52:23]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is it important that God tells Moses, “I will be with you,” rather than simply trying to convince Moses that he is strong or talented enough for the task? [01:01:21]
2. Psalm 46:10 calls God’s people to be still and know that He is God. What kinds of distractions can keep a person from giving God’s Word and God’s direction the attention they need? [49:34]
3. Samuel needed help learning to recognize the Lord’s voice. How can believers grow in recognizing God’s leading through Scripture and the Holy Spirit without expecting God to only tell them what they already want to hear? [53:07]
4. Moses’ questions eventually led to, “Please send somebody else.” What is the difference between asking God honest questions for understanding and using questions to avoid obedience? [01:07:41]

Application questions

1. What regularly keeps you busy enough that God’s voice can feel like static—your schedule, your phone, worries, entertainment, or something else? What could help you set aside a real time this week to be still before God? [55:45]
2. Is there an area where you have been saying, “Who am I?” or “I can’t”? How does God’s promise, “I will be with you,” change the way you look at that situation? [01:02:07]
3. Has God been putting something on your heart that you have delayed—encouraging someone, making a phone call, serving, sharing Christ, beginning something, or stopping something? What has kept you from responding? [01:13:20]
4. Which excuse do you tend to give most often: “I don’t have time,” “I’m not qualified,” “I’m too old,” “I’m too young,” “What will people think?” or “Somebody else can do it”? What would trusting God look like in that area? [01:14:16]
5. What is already in your hand that God may want to use—your testimony, time, voice, practical skills, resources, or willingness? What is one way you could place that ordinary thing in God’s hands this week? [01:11:24]
6. What would one specific act of obedience look like today instead of tomorrow? What would help you take that next step before the week is over? [01:14:38]