Originally published Sunday, 22 November 2015.
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
Rarely is a scenario laid out this clearly for us. It's as if God doesn't want us to miss this idea of turning to look at the bush. And as Moses talks himself through it, seemingly out loud, the Lord withholds His voice...until He has Moses' attention.
For, it isn't until Moses turns to look that God calls out to him.
If only we could apply the magnitude of this concept. Maybe we'd stop to look at the poverty situation across town. Maybe we'd look a little longer into the eyes of the vulnerable. Maybe we'd let the mission field slip in under our feet rather than keeping it "over there somewhere." Maybe we'd let our eyes behold what our hearts don't want to feel.
But, we'd like to say we just don't feel called to those situations.
Of course we don't because we haven't turned to look.
God wants us to lean in, to make eye contact, and take a step closer. How else will we hear His voice when He calls?
After all, finding God's purpose means hearing His voice. We can't do this from a distance or from our comfort zone or from behind our window. When we turn and look, we can be assured that God will respond and speak.
God nudges our willingness into obedience; He will not force our feet.
Prayer
Lord, help us turn our eyes and see you where you are at work in the situations around us. Sometimes they aren't as neat and tidy as we'd like. Sometimes they break our hearts. But, Jesus, help us seek you there, and tune our ears to hear you voice when you call. Speak to our hearts about your purpose. In your name, Jesus, amen.
31 Days of Purpose: Devotions from the early life of Moses
From a boat-basket to a burning bush, Moses’ call to leadership is filled with everyday people and situations, all divinely orchestrated for God's divine purpose. As we study the early years of Moses, we see a consistent theme of God raising up the unlikely and transforming the average with His anointing. That's me, and that's you - common people, yet commissioned for a high calling. Let's step into it this month, together. Click here for the whole series.
It's time for the next Book Journey!
This month, I am blogging through Overrated by Eugene Cho. Each Friday, I post chapter summaries and discussion questions. Come join in!
For more information about Book Journeys on this blog, click here.
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