“I will now turn aside to see this.” Exodus 3:3 NKJV
“Welcome any interruption where God reveals Himself to you.”
My thoughts today are about “divine interruptions.”
Life can be a dizzying rush of routines and responsibilities too much of the time. I find myself in a hurry a lot more than could possibly be healthy. I am not a disorganized person. I like to do what I am expected to do; I like to be where I am supposed to be; and I like to be on time. If I were not careful, life could become a blur, and when that happens who knows what I might have missed along the way. And along the way is really where everyday life has to be lived.
Moses was working his day job, a shepherd in the middle of nowhere tending his father-in-law’s sheep. Now what could seem a more thankless or dead end job than that? Suddenly, unexpectedly, something a bit bizarre happened. Oh, it wasn’t just a bush burning. In that dry, hot, and arid land such a thing likely had happened before. But this was different, it burned without being consumed – and much more importantly, God’s presence was in this bush. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses as a blazing fire in a bush.” Exodus 3:2 NLT.
God will take whatever form required to gain your attention and audience. I wonder how many times God was in the path of my busy, daily schedule, and I was too focused on the natural stuff to be aware of the “anything but natural” presence of God. I fear there may well have been too many times when I have been too busy to notice God’s interruptions. “When all kinds of trials crowd into your life, don’t resent them as interruptions, but welcome them as friends.” J.B. Phillips Paraphrase.
Now, isn’t that sad – if you reject and resent your burning bush moment? When the predictable obscures the unpredictable – when the natural crowds out the supernatural – you are in danger of missing God. When that happens you could miss the most important moment of a heavenly agenda that is meant to direct and impact the rest of your life.
How much trouble is God having to get you to stop, look, and listen to Him? When your life is allowed to become too busy and too noisy, you are likely missing God, and whatever He has for you. “And when God saw that Moses turned aside to see, God called to him . .” Exodus 3:4 KJV. I love this part of the story when Moses lets his life become God’s story. God interrupts your routine and then waits to see your response before He goes further. Moses turned aside to see. If not, he would have missed God.
Read this next progression of verses. God lets Moses know that God knew where he was and who he is, by calling him by name. God reminds Moses who He is, the God of Moses’ history and heritage. God tells Moses what is of concern to Him, the plight and cries of His people. God tells Moses what He has come to do, to deliver Israel (the very thing Moses attempted to do on his own and failed, before running for his life!). God informs Moses where he fits into God’s scheme of things. And finally, God assures Moses that he will not be alone; the Almighty God will be with Him. (Read Exodus 2-12).
Do you need direction for your life? Have you been looking for purpose and meaning? There’s only one way you will find that – only one place – only from one Source. Welcome any interruption where God reveals Himself to you, however inconvenient or uncomfortable for the moment.
My prayer for you is to never be too busy to watch for, and listen to, God.