Purpose, Continuity, and Surprise

Scripture — Exodus 3:1-11 (NRSV)

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Devotion

For forty years, Moses, once a prince of Egypt, was out watching his father-in-law’s sheep in the middle of nowhere. One day, Moses came upon a bizarre sight: a bush that was burning without being burned up. When he went to examine the bush, God called to him, saying, “Moses! Moses!” Overwhelmed by the presence of God, “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exod 3:6).

God began by announcing good news to Moses. God had observed the misery of the Israelites in Egypt and was going to deliver them and lead them to a “good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exod 3:7-8). But then came news that didn’t sound so good to Moses. God was going to send Moses to Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses felt hesitant, even afraid of this calling. He said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exod 3:11).

God responded by reframing the question. It wasn’t a matter of who Moses was, but who would be with Moses, namely the God whose name is “I AM WHO I AM” (Exod 3:13). Yet Moses still hesitated until God, amazingly patient, finally persuaded him to accept the assignment God was giving him.

As we reflect on God’s choice of Moses, we can see that his new purpose – freeing the Israelites from Egypt – was both continuous with his past and yet also surprising. After all, before spending 40 years in the wilderness, Moses was an adopted member of the Egyptian royal family. He understood the language, culture, and values of the leaders of Egypt, including Pharaoh. Moreover, since he would be leading the Israelites through the wilderness, Moses’s experience of living there for 40 years would come in handy. Because of his unusual life experience, he was uniquely positioned for the purpose God was calling him to fulfill.

Similarly, we can see continuity and surprise in the story of Jesus’s calling of his first disciples. In Mark 1:16-18 we read, “As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Jesus emphasizes the continuity between what his disciples used to do and what they would be doing in the future . . . fishing. Yet I expect Simon and Andrew were surprised by the shifting purpose of their lives. Fishing for fish, now that was something they knew how to do. Fishing for people? That would lead them into a new realm of experience far beyond their comfort zone.

As I talk with people about their purpose in life, I have been struck again and again by how what they’re doing now is both continuous with their past and yet surprisingly different. I hear people say, “I never thought I’d be doing this.” Yet when I think about what they did in the past, I can see how their past experience prepared them for the surprising work they’re doing today.

This is certainly what I’ve experienced as God’s purpose for my life has unfolded in the past two decades. 20 years ago, I was serving as the pastor of a church in Irvine, California. I imagined that I would continue in that role for many years to come. If you had told me in 2005 that in 2025 writing devotions would be central to my life’s purpose, I would not have believed you. That wasn’t something I had any plans or desire to do. I loved preaching and thought that would be central to my life’s purpose for many years to come. Yet my preaching and my devotional writing have much in common. In both activities, I study Scripture and then share with folks what I have learned. Though devotional writing involves a different context and delivery system than preaching, what I do today is continuous with what I did for years as a preacher. Thus, I have experienced both continuity and surprise when it comes to the evolution of my purpose in life.

Often, people discover a new sense of purpose as they get older. Remember, at 80 years of age Moses wasn’t exactly planning on leading the Israelites out of Egypt when God called him through the burning bush (Exod 7:7). In the New Testament, Elizabeth was “getting on in years” according to her husband, Zechariah. She was not expecting that she’d soon be expecting a baby, the person we know as John the Baptist (Luke 1:18). Sometimes, as we get older, God calls us to something we never anticipated. Yet even that new calling is likely to be continuous with what we have done in the past, at least to some extent.

Though your core purpose in life might remain the same throughout the years, the facets of your purpose will likely evolve over time. Yet your new facets of purpose will often be continuous with what you have done in the past, even as they are also surprising. Thus, as you are open to God’s unfolding purpose for your life, expect both continuity and surprise. See how your past experiences have prepared you for what is new, even if your new purpose is not what you ever expected.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: God’s Call to Moses (Exodus 2:11-3:22).