Take Off Your Shoes

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Moses was just doing his job. Herding sheep. It’s the 9-to-5 grind, the repetitive nature of survival. Then, a bush catches fire, but it doesn’t burn out. This is the moment where the ‘I AM’ interrupts the ‘I do.’ Exodus 3 is a wake-up call for anyone who thinks their career or their daily routine is a God-free zone. The ground is holy not because it’s a temple, but because God decided to show up in the middle of a desert workspace.

This is the hinge of history. The God of the ancestors identifies Himself as the active, present ‘I AM.’ It’s a Name that defies definition and demands respect. In the grand narrative, this ‘I AM’ eventually takes on flesh in Jesus, who says, ‘Before Abraham was, I am’ (John 8:58). The theological weight here is massive: God isn’t a distant observer; He is the Fire that sustains. He sees the affliction of His people and He comes down. The uncomfortable challenge for us is that meeting ‘I AM’ requires us to take off our shoes. We have to drop our pretenses, our professional masks, and our comfortable excuses. Psalm 26 talks about walking in integrity and washing hands in innocence. It’s about being real before a God who doesn’t need your performance but only wants your attention, and your presence.

The burning bush isn’t a spectacle to be watched; it’s a summons to be answered. God isn’t looking for a perfect resume; He’s looking for a person willing to turn aside and look. Are you too busy with your sheep to notice the fire? The call of God often comes when we are at our most ordinary. Don’t miss the miraculous because you’re too focused on the mundane. Take off your shoes. The ground where you stand right now is holy.

Devotional Prompts:

What burning bushes have you been walking past because you were too focused on your daily tasks?
What shoes (pretenses or defenses) do you need to take off to truly encounter the ‘I AM’?
How does the reality of God coming down to see our affliction change how you view your current struggles?

Prayer: Infinite ‘I AM,’ break through our routines with the fire of Your presence. Teach us to recognize the holiness in our everyday spaces and give us the holy curiosity to answer Your summons. May our lives reflect the integrity of those who have stood on Holy Ground. Amen.