January 28

Take Off Your Sandals

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  ––Exodus 3:2-5

Both Moses and Joshua were commanded by God to remove their sandals in His presence. For Moses, it happened at the burning bush when God called him back to Egypt to help free His people (see Exodus 3).

Joshua was commanded to remove his sandals on the eve of the battle of Jericho, when the Commander of the Lord’s army appeared before him (see Joshua 5). I believe it was Jesus Himself who stood before Joshua, because Joshua referred to Him in Joshua 6 as “the Lord.” Also, Joshua worshipped the Man, so he saw Him as a deity. 

These holy encounters taught both Moses and Joshua a few things:

• God’s presence carries holiness—it commands our reverence and worship;
• When we are in His presence, we do the equivalent of “taking off our shoes” by humbling ourselves and acknowledging His power;
• Come to believe that He is far greater than we can comprehend, and can rearrange circumstances to fit His needs;
• That He is to be trusted, and that His yes is always yes.

For God’s man, the equivalent of “taking off our shoes” in God’s presence is to practice the type of reverence and obedience that both Moses and Joshua displayed. Neither man had all the answers, but both trusted the Lord to bring deliverance.

Don’t take off your shoes for anyone and anything—sometimes we worship things that don’t deserve our reverence, or make idols of things that are not holy. Make it a habit each morning to surrender your day to His direction and to His will. When we place Him in a position of worship and reverence, we align our priorities and increase our capacity for God to work through us and use us.

Father, Your holiness and goodness overwhelm me; I worship You today and acknowledge Your power and love.