Should Moses' Experience at the Burning Bush be Called Prayer?

How do you define prayer? The dictionary definition says that prayer is, “Making requests known to God.” And while there is a biblical basis for this definition, what we see at the burning bush turns the definition around completely. Moses did not make his requests known. Instead it was God who made the first move, getting Moses’ attention so that he would turn away from his daily routine (Part I). And then it is God who makes His request known, calling Moses to humble himself in preparation for something much bigger than his chosen life as a shepherd.

Sarbel [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

Part II: Take Off Your Shoes - Exodus 3:1-5

"Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."

God is holy and by nature fallen man cannot enter into God's presence without first being properly prepared. I suspect that had Moses moved any closer to the burning bush with his shoes on, his story would have come to an end right then and there. We likely would never have known a thing about the Hebrew-Egyptian shepherd. If the Bible mentioned him at all it would have told of how, in his pride, he forfeited his opportunity to become a great leader of the nation of Israel.

What did the sandals represent?

Moses’ sandals were likely covered in whatever he walked on (or in) while he worked as a shepherd. They carried the dirt of ground which was not “holy” representing what we would now call the things of this earth. They were a physical manifestation of the fallen state of man which would have tracked the stain of sin upon the holy ground of God.

By taking off his sandals Moses left the stain of sin behind him. His bare feet allowed a direct connection with ground that was holy, working much like the promise Jesus made to Peter while washing his feet (John 13:6-10). With his sandals on I suspect Moses would have remained separated from God, like Peter would have had he refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. With sandals removed Moses was ready for a conversation with God, one that involved him being “cleaned” in preparation for walking on holy ground.

In order to come before God Moses had to be changed, a change represented by his taking off his sandals. He could not come before God with an expectation of God being changed. Likewise when we come before God we should do so with the expectation that we will be changed, not that God will change to bend to our will. If we expect our petitions to change God we are still wearing our sandals. Real prayer involves God changing us that our list might be made in alignment with His will. Only then will our prayers be accompanied by the power that comes with asking in His name.

Making our requests known is not the end all of prayer. In fact it is not even the first step. The first step involves having our hearts, our minds, our very beings bending and being molded according to the will of God. Prayer begins when we “take off our sandals.”

So, what’s on your feet when you approach God in prayer?