A Lesson from Moses

I was reading, again, the story of Moses, and I was struck by a profound truth I’ve often overlooked, yet find playing out in my own life and the lives of those around me. The truth is this: sometimes we just have to pay attention to what God is doing. Our attention opens the door for him to speak and act.

In Exodus 3, Moses goes up on Horeb with his father-in-law’s flock. No big deal. Pretty mundane, in fact. There he sees a bush burning, but not consumed. “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight,” he says in verse. 3. Okay, so all that I’ve seen before. But the beginning of verse 4 leapt out at me today. It says this: “When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look.” It all started with Moses noticing what God was doing—noticing the bush in the midst of his daily drudgery and turning aside to look.

Then God spoke to him. God didn’t call out to try to get Moses’ attention while he was looking the other way. He spoke once Moses noticed the bush and stopped to look.

Have you seen this in your own life? I have. When I stopped to look—and call about—that first writers group, I ended up with a critique group and writer friends and more confidence in my calling to write. When I paid attention to the possibility of attending my first writers conference, it led a fun trip, some encouraging words from people in the publishing industry, and again, confidence that the Lord had called and gifted me to write.

It all begins with stopping and looking at those things God is using to get our attention in the middle of our normal, daily lives.