The Old Testament passage for this week's Lectionary reading is the account of Moses encountering the burning bush, from which God speaks to him, delivering a surprising and scary task he must fulfill. The task exposes Moses' deepest insecurities, dark tendencies, and frailties, even while making him one of scripture's most epic characters. I resonate so deeply with Moses' first response to God's presentation of the task, which is to immediately list out all the reasons why he thinks he can't do it.

For those of us who are having Burning Bush Moments
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whom it is taking every ounce of faith to believe that it’s actually You speaking to us,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who receive callings that will require courage and sacrifice
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who will lose friends, family or reputation as a cost of obedience
Lord hear our prayer.
For those for whom silence would be a great sin,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whose feet burn from standing on holy ground.
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who, like Moses, think our insecurities our inadequacies disqualify us from your call,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who think God might have called the wrong number,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who have been doing one thing one way for so long that we can’t imagine doing another,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whose callings will expose every hidden thing inside our hearts,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who might fail,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who are willing, however reluctantly, to go to the wilderness,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those to whom You must prove your faithfulness and love over and over and over again,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whose shame and fear keeps us from the Promised Land.
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who are so angry and frustrated with the way things are that we can hardly contain it.
Lord hear our prayer.
For those to whom you speak face to face, as to a friend,
Lord hear our prayer.

Amen