Ever feel like you're so fixated on the path you're used to taking that you may be missing a burning bush nearby?
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian,
and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.
He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
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 3:1-4)
We all know the story of Moses and the Burning Bush. It's a cool story that we were told a lot in Sunday School. Recently I read the account in Exodus 3 and suddenly it became more than a fun story. I realized that I am Moses in a lot of ways and there was a very important lesson I needed to learn just in the first four verses of the chapter. In verse one, Moses is just going about his normal life, taking care of his father-in-law's flock, probably on a path he often traveled. Then it says that the angel of the Lord appeared to him, but Moses did not know it was the Lord. It says that he looked and saw the burning bush. Out of mere curiosity and wonder, he turned aside to see this marvel. Then in verse four, there's a cause and effect statement. When he turned side, God called to him. It asks the question:
If Moses hadn't turned aside, would God have called out to him?
In my own life, I wonder if I'm so focused on the path I know, the path I've established that I don't even look up from my feet to see a burning bush slightly off the path. Even if I did see the bush, I wonder whether I would turn aside or if fear of the unknown would keep me on my path.I do not say all of this to question whether Moses' actions or lack thereof could have messed up God's plan. This isn't a debate of God's sovereignty and human responsibility. But rather, I believe these four verses show the importance of being attentive to the Spirit and to be always seeking after God's desires for your life. I don't want to miss my burning bush because I'm so attached to my plans for the future. I want to be traveling on the path with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive God's next step. I want to be willing to turn aside from the path and let God take me on a totally different one, even if the new path is more difficult, completely out of my comfort zone and seemingly impossible.
Let us follow Jesus' example and strive to live in perfect obedience to the Father and be willing to say, "Not my will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) Let us be actively looking and praying for burning bushes in our lives. When we look and turn aside, God calls out to us.
Joy and Peace,
