It's Just You And Me, Tonto (And Frankly I'm Not Too Sure About You)

October 20, 2002

In the movie Awakenings Robert DeNiro is a 50 year-old post-encephalytic vegetable. Encephalitis caused Parkinson-like loss of motor control (tics). These tics accelerate until they freeze a person catatonically, within himself.

Robin Williams plays Dr. Sayer, who (self-admittedly) is just not good in relating to people. He is assigned the care of Leonard Lowe (DeNiro). Sayer theorizes that a certain drug might work, and tries different dosages with Leonard.

One night Dr. Sayer falls asleep next to Leonard’s bed, and wakes to find him gone. Searching frantically, Dr. Sayer finds Leonard in the game room, writing his name on a chalk board. It is the first time Leonard has moved in thirty years. He looks at Sayer and smiles, It’s quiet.

Sayers replies, It’s late; very late. People are asleep. Leonard’s smile increases, I’m not asleep.

Eventually, the side effects of the drug make it impossible to continue administering it, and, without the awakening drug, Leonard slips back into his sleeping existence. Like that drug, without the presence of God we are little more than the living dead.

Both secular and religious sources document the exodus of the Hebrew peoples from Egypt. The whole world pays respect to the name of Moses.

Muslims revere him as a forerunner of Mohammed.

Christians and Jews alike accept the Pentateuch (Genesis thru Deuteronomy) as the inspired Word of God, given through the pen of Moses.

If there is one common ingredient seen in the life of Moses (as with the other great men of the Bible) it is the presence of God. In Deuteronomy (34:10) Moses is described as a man who knew God face to face.

The burning bush was the experience that changed the life of Moses and the course of history. It affected every moment of Moses’ life. Even when he was saying goodbye to his people for the last time his prayer for them was the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush.

Things happen when you stand on holy ground, in the presence of a holy God....

FEAR IS REMOVED BY COURAGE

And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Exodus 2:14 (KJV)

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. Exodus 5:1 (KJV)

Before experiencing the presence of God Moses tried to do everything in his own strength. He was a Hebrew, but he was raised in Pharaoh’s house. When he found out about his heritage he attempted to force things to turn in favor of his new found people. That led him to murder an Egyptian. But things didn’t go as Moses planned. Everything backfired, and he became a hunted criminal. Doing things on your own – especially in ministry – is not a good idea!

After fleeing to Midian to escape from Pharaoh, Moses encountered the Lord in that bush, and he learned to serve in God’s strength. How different, more courageous is the Moses that stands before Pharaoh (5:1a) to say Let my people go.

In his own strength Moses killed an Egyptian, secretly hiding the body in the sand.

In God’s strength Moses proclaimed openly the God to whom Pharaoh must bow.

A very attractive offer was made to me a number of years ago. It was an opportunity to move right into management with an insurance company. The first year salary would have been more twice what I was making at the time.

The yearly possibilities went upward exponentially. At the time the financial pressures made the offer a great temptation. It would be fair to say I was afraid NOT to take the offer. There was only one problem....God had called me to a ministry of sharing the gospel.

Placing my financial need over that on which God had prior claim, was trusting in myself more than God.

I took a deep breath and said no to the job offer.

My fear had been great about paying the bills, but the memory of my own burning bush gave me the courage to be faithful. Once you’ve stood in the presence of a holy God fear is replaced by courage.....

FAILURE IS RESTRUCTURED TO FRUITFULNESS

Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. Exodus 2:15 (KJV)

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh,

that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. Exodus 3:10 (KJV)