Angels Among Us - My Burning Bush

Things were pretty hard for me recently. I had been dealing with some difficult family and legal issues and was wondering when the Lord would speak to me again concerning things. One day feeling overly burdened, I told my wife that I needed to go to my favorite spot to pray and so I headed there for the evening. Alone with God I expressed my heart to Him. I prayed for His intervention in the challenges I was facing. I asked for His direction, I submitted myself to His will even if it wasn't what I wanted. I asked that He would help me to maintain my integrity in an unfair situation that tempted me to fight back with likewise ruthlessness. And then I waited....and waited...and waited. And He spoke to me with that peace inside that let me know that I needed to really allow Him to handle things. To put my complete faith in Him regardless of what I was facing. That it would be alright.

Even though I felt confident that I had a peace in knowing how to handle things, I must stay I still felt unsure. I had that questioning in the back of my mind that we all get as Christians. Was this really God speaking to me or just my own thoughts? What if I trust Him and He doesn't come through? Won't I look like a fool?

And then a day came that changed everything...

My oldest daughter and I were in the bank. As we waited in the long line to see a teller, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a woman in the line was looking at me. I didn't look at her directly and didn't want to think too much of it. Then a minute or so later she turned around and spoke. She said, "Excuse me, but I feel that the Lord is putting something on my heart so strongly. God wants you to know that even though you are going through a tough time, He is there and everything will be fine." She then looked at my oldest daughter. "Are you his daughter?" My daughter nodded her head yes. She looked back at me and said "I feel that you are gentle man, and (as she turned back to my daughter) you should stay close to your dad, through him you are going to see the love of the father. So many girls don't have a good father in their life. Stay close to your dad." My daughter nodded her head in agreement. This complete stranger spoke to me with a confidence and urgency that sounded like God Himself was reaching down from Heaven to speak to my situation.

I could feel the water well up in the back of my eyes. I honestly wanted to cry. It was like God had personally put His hand on my shoulder and told me to just trust Him. That He was going to handle things, regardless of what opposition I would face. I know that moment was meant to speak to my daughter's soul deeply as well.

This week as I was listening to the radio, I heard someone speaking about Moses going to face Pharaoh. Risking his life to go and speak words of judgement against a man that had the power to have him killed. Where did Moses get this confidence? Because he had seen God in the burning bush. He had seen and felt God's power in such a real and powerful way that he now had no doubt that he had the Lord on his side.

This woman was my burning bush. I have a confidence in my situation now unlike anytime before. God new that I needed a powerful sign to face the challenges ahead of me, and He gave it to me in the most unlikely of ways. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Praise be to God.

Steve