Good morning and welcome to Friday’s podcast. We have made it to the end of the week together. One last podcast and then I hand over to Liam, our fantastic youth team leader, who will continue with the story of Acts. Today’s reading, Acts 7:17-34, is the next section of Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin where he is on trial for his life. In this section he moves on from the story of Abraham to the story of Moses. V25 says this…

Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

REFLECTION:

I will start today with a personal question: how old are you? I’ll give you a moment, as I am at an age where I have to work it out. Now, take the age you are and halve it. For me that’s 22. Now think back to your aspirations and dreams you had when you were half your age. Are there hopes and dreams that have been fulfilled? Are there hopes and dreams that you had then that you no longer carry, that you gave up on years ago? Or even words or prophecies that were spoken over you that have been long forgotten? If once, you wrote that sort of thing down… go find your note book, blow off the dust and take a read.

Moses saw the oppression, the slavery that his people were living under and he had a deep desire to do something about it. So, aged 40 he took matters into his own hands…

Moses thought that his own people would realise that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

And as events unfolded, Moses feared for his life and fled. He ran to the desert where he settled down and had a family. For 40 years he did the family thing… and then one day God spoke!

‘Moses, half your life ago you believed that I would use you to rescue your fellow Israelites… Well today I am sending you to do that very thing!’

In those 40 long years did Moses wake every day and cry out to God to rescue the Israelites? Did he, after 40 long years, still believe that he was the one to rescue them? Did he still believe that God could use him? Or, over the years had his passion dimmed, had his hope been extinguished?  Had his faith melted away?

I have heard it said that first God gives us vision, then we rush off and try to make that vision happen, we fail, give up, lose hope – all before God can use us to fulfil the vision that he gave us in the first place!

We have to die to the vision in our hearts so that God can get us out of the way. When we first hear the call; realise what God wants from us, we think that it’s all down to us. We effectively say, “OK God, stand aside, I’ve got this!” It’s only when we figure out that we cannot, that God shows up and shows us that he can.

You see, God has not forgotten our hopes and dreams, he has not forgotten the heart and passions that he dropped into the mould as you and I were being formed. But unchecked, that passion; those dreams all revolve around us.

It’s said of my generation that when we were 20somethings that we thought we could change the world. 20+ years on, some of my peers have dropped out of church; some have settled into family life; others have lost their way, just going through the motions, turning up at church not expecting anything in particular. Very few still believe that they can change the world… We find ourselves wandering in the desert with Moses, some with families, some working for others – a shadow of their former, passionate selves. Maybe that’s you. Maybe that’s your husband. Maybe that’s a friend you see down the pub from time to time, maybe that’s your mum or dad.

My prayer is that for all of us we have our moment on holy ground, before the burning bush and God speaks clearly to us… “Now is the time that you have been waiting for. I haven’t forgotten you. I have a job for you to do.”

God has not forgotten. God remembers who he made us to be. He planted the hopes and dreams into our lives. Let now be the time Father,