July 19: Exodus 3:1-6

Key Verse: Exodus 3:3
So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’

Devotion:
After his escapade with killing the Egyptian and judging others, Moses went into hiding from Pharaoh and stayed there until after Pharaoh had died and things looked like they were calming down again. In the mean time he had to find work and was now looking after the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. Whilst looking after the sheep near Horeb, the mountain of God, an angel of the Lord appeared as a fire in the midst of a bush. The fire was burning but it was not burning the bush or consuming it as we would expect.

Moses, in his inquisitiveness, wanted to go up to the bush and see why the fire was nor burning it up… But God called out to him from within the bush! He called him by name so there was no doubt who God was calling. I’m not sure what I would have done in this instance other than wanting to go and touch the fire to see why it was not burning the bush!

God may not appear to you from within a burning bush or even in a great wind or earthquake, or whatever! God may be calling you by name but because you are not listening out for any call, you are not hearing it. That is one of our problems living in this noisy and crowded world we live in – there are far too many distractions for us to just sit still and listen to see if God is calling us by name…

I must say I do like the fact there is not a constant stream of planes flying overhead any more. It was something we got used to because it was there, virtually non-stop. But when it stops, you hear the difference and realise how much noise you have just accepted. Noise which is distracting and may be stopping you from hearing God. God called Moses when he was all alone, near Horeb and tending sheep. There was nobody else to take notes and guide Moses as to what to do next, he just had to put the world on pause and listen to God...

Points to Ponder:
How busy is your life?

Are you willing to pause your life and listen out for God?