Then God said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet [out of respect], because the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:5-6 (AMP)

As Moses curiously approached the burning bush, he was unknowingly saying “yes” to being used by God. When he approached the unconsumed bush, he was stopped by the voice of God, commanding him to remove his shoes, for he was about to enter holy ground. Although this demand may seem arbitrary, Moses’ act of taking his shoes off was an initial act of obedience to God, and following this act, God allowed Him into His presence. He allowed Moses to enjoy the space that He had transformed from common ground into holy ground.

If we want to step into God’s presence and feel His power, the first step is obedience. Because God is omniscient, His instructions may not always make sense to us, but if we want to be where God is, then we should do whatever God asks of us. As God invites us in, we must obediently pattern our lives in conformity to His will. Moses didn’t take off his shoes because it made sense. He did it because his Creator asked him to.

God may not be asking us to take off our shoes when we enter into His house, but He is asking us to leave behind the distractions. When He invites us into His presence, we need to enter carefully and respectfully. We are a child of God. It does not matter what title we hold at work or what designer brands we wear. The material things are insignificant. When we step into God’s house, it becomes holy ground, and there’s no other purpose than to glorify, magnify, and obey Him.

Moses stepped into God’s presence, accepting His perfection and holiness, completely surrendering his life to the Creator. He didn’t ask “why?” He just said, “Yes.” Like Moses, when God asks us to do something, despite how arbitrary, we need to start saying “yes” and trust that His plan is good and full of blessings. Although the commands of the Lord may not make perfect sense to us, it is important for us to understand that God is omnipotent and when we accept His perfect and holy plan for our lives, we act in perfect obedience to His will.