Growing up in Pharaoh’s court, Moses was a man on the fast track to success.
But then suddenly, he was on the run, fleeing from Pharaoh’s order to have him put to death (Exodus 2:15). After his escape to Midian, he married Zipporah, had a baby boy, and helped look after his father-in-law’s flocks (Exodus 2:21 – 22; 3:1).
In the midst of Moses’ everyday work as a humble shepherd, the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a “blazing fire from the middle of a bush” (Exodus 3:2 NLT). Read what happens next:
“When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’” (Exodus 3:4 NLT)
I’m convinced that this passage provides us with specific insight into how God intentionally intervened in Moses’ life. Here are four key thoughts:
1. God uses busy people. It’s often in the midst of the most chaotic times in our lives that God’s voice has the most powerful impact.
2. God will surprise you. Moses didn’t go out into the Sinai wilderness that day expecting to hear from God.
3. It’s possible to miss God if you focus on the burning bush alone. Moses was amazed that the fire didn’t consume the bush. Had Moses focused on the way God was communicating, rather than what He was saying, he would have missed the message.
4. If you’re going to hear God, you’ve got to pull away from your routine. Scripture doesn’t record why Moses was in the wilderness that day, but it does imply that it was not a part of his regular “sheep rounds.” Like Moses, we have to rise above the noise level of everyday life to hear His still, small voice.
The bottom line is this: God didn’t speak to Moses until Moses paid attention.
Perhaps you can recall a time in your life when God was seeking to get your attention. How did He do it? And more importantly, are you paying attention today to what He may be saying to you?
