Do you remember the story in the Bible of Moses in his desert-dwelling days where he walked up to a burning bush and met God there? It is a crazy story that included God telling him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. As I have thought about this story and the events around it, I have asked myself some challenging questions from it. There’s a sense in which you can ask yourself today as well, “Is the ground you are standing on holy ground?”
Moses and Holy Ground in the Wilderness
To catch you up on the scenario – Moses watched the sheep of his father-in-law. Moses lived in Egypt for forty years and fled after he found himself in a very tough circumstance. He then got married and started shepherding the sheep of his father-in-law in the desert. I can’t actually imagine being a shepherd – much less a shepherd in the desert for another forty years. Moses basically at eighty years old continues to watch the sheep when he happens upon a burning bush near Mount Horeb, a very famous mountain throughout the stories of the Bible. Notice the account:
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover 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 upon God. (Exodus 3:1-6)
The Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ) appeared to Moses in a flame from the midst of a bush. Imagine this.
Moses’ curiosity drew him to the burning bush and when he gets there, he learns why it is not burning up – because the Angel of the Lord is in the midst of it.
Absolutely crazy to think about, isn’t it?
What Made This Particular Ground in the Desert “Holy”?
Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai
I had the privilege of going to Israel and saw some of the desert land there. Mount Horeb (known by various names throughout the Bible, most commonly as Mount Sinai) is a desolate place. When you see this area, and really much of the desert, there is nothing there that would draw you to it. In fact, Mount Horeb or Sinai failed to make the tourist map of the Sinai Peninsula. Simply put, this mountain existed among many others with nothing spectacular about it.
A non-descript bush on the backside of the desert.
What made it holy then?
Every other day. Every other hour of that particular day. Nothing. Normal. Just a bush on the backside of the desert. But this day and time was different.
Although usually nothing particular or spectacular – this day, this time was the exception – the fact that the Angel of the Lord was there in a flame of fire in the midst of the bush.
What made it holy? The presence of the Lord!
Is the Ground You Are Standing on Holy Ground?
Back to our original question, “Is the ground you are standing on holy ground?”
I suggest to you that the ground we stand upon is just as holy as the ground Moses stood upon way back in the desert. Why? Because we have the presence of the Lord with us as well. God is with us. Remember what Jesus said?
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Again, God is with us.
As a follower of Christ who enjoys the continual presence of the Lord, you can be anywhere – on the back side of the desert, in the midst of a city, floating in a lake, or walking through some woods – and be in God’s presence. As the Bible tells us, “God will never leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9; Hebrews 13:5).
Yes, the ground you stand upon is holy ground.
What Do You Need to Do on Holy Ground?
God instructed Moses to come close, recognize His presence, take off his shoes, and listen.
As holy ones of God, saved, secure, and set apart unto God, what do we need to do?
We need to live in light of the presence of the Lord.
- Enjoy God! God’s provisions, God’s promises, and God’s presence
- Draw near to God. As you recognize the presence of God, intentionally remember His presence.
- Commune with God. Listen to God by reading His Word. Talk to God through prayer. Memorize His Word. Recall what you have read and memorized. Walk with the Lord today.
- Submit to God. Seek to put your will under His will. Recognize God’s authority in your situation, in your presence, and in this place – wherever you are is this place.
- Obey God. Now, carefully seek to think, believe, say, and do everything that honors the presence of the Lord today. God is with you. You are with Him. Live like it.
This experience for Moses of experiencing the presence of God on this holy ground radically changed the direction of his life. Let me suggest to you – when you experience the presence of God in your life on holy ground, your life will be radically changed as well.
To the extent that you recognize the presence of God in your life, is to the same extent that your life will be radically changed. From holy ground to holy living! From discontentment to contentment! Everything.
First step: recognize the ground you are standing on is holy ground.
Image Credit Joshua Eckstein
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together