moses the murderer

I don't know about you, but when I think of Moses, I don't always think of him as a murderer. Not only was he guilty of murder, but then he became a fugitive. He ran away. As a child he was abandoned by his mother (to save his life, but abandoned all the same) was raised in a foster home, got the best education, but threw it all away when anger got the best of him.

Doesn't sound like the greatest candidate for leadership. His resume would most likely be thrown into the "recycle bin" in most companies.

But throw God into the picture and everything changes. God saved his life when his mother sent him up the river. God raised him up in Pharoah's company because he knew he would need to understand that world in later years. God saw him murder the egyptian and watched him flee, only to give him the experience of being a shepherd in the wilderness... another world he would have to understand.

It was in that place, knowing he was a murderer, knowing he had fled, knowing his past and everything about him that God chose to meet him. Moses was probably feeling like he had failed God, his family and his people, and was living out his days quietly as a shepherd and a father, a husband and a son in law.

But God saw more. He took him from that place of utter obscurity and placed him infront of Pharoah once again. He took him from the desert as a fugitive to the being a leader of a nation leading them through the desert. God saw his future, not his past. God entered into his life from the very beginning and shaped him through every circumstance.

God called Moses his friend.

I don't know about you, but THAT gives me hope.

Advent begins in 2 days. I pray that this season reminds us all that God sees our future and walks us through the now. So much so, that he sent Jesus to solidify our place with Him, so that all of us can be not only God's children, but also His friend.