The earth rolls by as I drive home, heart heavy with fear and uncertainty. I’ve lived in a realm of listlessness for months, fighting through fatigue and anxiety that doesn’t fully go away. Worn weary, I wonder where I even am on God’s radar. Does He see my pain?
Worries about health keep cycling in my mind. I am looking for any sign that God sees me. Didn’t God give Moses a burning bush?
Then my “burning bush” appears.
I’m driving down a familiar road when my eyes flash up to a side street: Burning Bush Lane. In the rocky clefts and broken landscape of my heart, this sign encourages me that I am seen.
God is here, even in the flames of my pain. I recall what God told Moses in Exodus 3:5: “The place on which you are standing is holy ground” (ESV). Perhaps my hurts and worries are held on holy ground as well.
In Exodus 3, God appeared in the wilderness where Moses thought all was lost. God watched for Moses to come near, then spoke from the flames, affirming both His character and Moses’ identity: “I am the God of your father …” (Exodus 3:6, ESV, emphases added). He used the flickering flames of singeing fire to speak and soothe.
“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” (Exodus 3:2).
God reaches us in surprising ways even as we stumble through our turmoil and pain. He is patient and kind; He is always near, waiting for us to turn toward Him, and He speaks when we open up our hearts in complete vulnerability.
We never know where the Lord will appear to us, but we can settle into a posture of receiving His voice, even when it comes in unexpected ways. Especially when it comes in unexpected ways, like the fires of trial and suffering.
Our pain has purpose. We can believe God when He says He works all things together for good. Heartaches, health struggles, strained relationships, feelings of despair and worry … All things work together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
We may never fully know the reasons for our suffering, but we can be certain that whether it feels like it or not, we are on holy ground because the Holy One is with us, making a way in the wilderness (Isaiah 43:19).
God, thank You that You make Yourself present in painful times when I am hurt, scared and weary. When it feels hard, You show me that I am standing on holy ground with You, the Holy One who works all things for my good. Help me to believe this and to stand on Your Truth in faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
