The Power of Invitation

By Kaitlin Sandberg

And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”  When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am.”

Exodus 3:3-4 ESV

I'm convinced that in moments of deep tension and frustration, God hides an invitation. The challenge is our response. Will we sit in tension, be led by the spirit, and ask, “What’s He inviting me to?” Or will the soul (the mind, will, and emotions) spoil the chance to know Him in a deeper way?

God will require your yes long before you discover the door to an invitation. Most of the time, the yes is like Moses’ simple “Here I am.” A yes saturated in surrender as the unknown is presented before you.

If the response isn’t to turn aside like Moses did with the burning bush, one might miss the door to more of Him. If our hearts and eyes are open, the hidden invitations within the hardships of life will transform the invitee and perhaps set a nation free.

It wasn’t until Moses turned aside to see and perceive what the Lord was doing that the Lord began to speak and usher Moses into the greatest and hardest adventure. It takes a perspective change, a willingness to be interrupted from our normal routine, and a willingness to shed mentalities that were never ours, like “this is too hard.” 

There are many invitations in His word, but not without cost. An invitation from God will cost you something. As He begins to increase your life, you begin to decrease. It’s not out of striving but out of abiding in Christ. Our heart’s desires begin to sync up with His. It requires intimacy. It requires looking like our Father by spending time with Him.

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

Exodus 3:11-12 ESV

I admit that when He asks me to do something like face down a giant, my response is often like Moses': “Who am I?”

Regardless of how I feel, God’s answer never changes: “I will be with you.” 

Can you feel the tension of humanity colliding with God's nature? Just like with Moses, one would expect words of encouragement, but God invites a deeper revelation of His nature. God doesn’t promise ease. His promise is He will always be with us. He, who prepares a table in the middle of my enemies, will never forsake you. He is the one who provides rest when you’re bombarded by the enemy's onslaught.

Looking back on some of my greatest trials, I can clearly see the moments marked by God’s invitations. Some of them I was blind to, and some I begrudgingly stepped into. In my immaturity, I never learned to embrace the tension and look for the invitations. I’m thankful He’s faithful even when I wasn’t. 

God is extending an invitation to His sons and daughters. It’s what I call a holy defiance. Defiance set against the enemy to allow him no room at their table. Ones who will remind their soul of who their Father is and who they are when the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Individuals who seek the invitations in the trials that come and allow it to heal, deliver, and transform them.

So, are you willing? Willing to go before the King and ask in every hard moment, “What are You inviting me to?” Will you hear and embrace the invitation?

After all, an invitation from God is a grand adventure. Dare I say- a katastic adventure.