We live in a culture that is filled with numerous time-saving devices. And even though we have all these resourceful conveniences, it seems our generation has less time to do what we need to do, or want to do.
Everyone is busy. Our days and nights are filled with appointments, meetings, classes, events, and on and on. Never enough time in a day.
Conversations with other people have almost become extinct. Why talk when we can text?
Unfortunately, (or fortunately,) God does not text. So, if we do not have time for conversations with other people, we certainly don’t have time for conversations with God. But then again, does God still speak today? It’s a fair question, and while some may dispute it and others debate it, I happen to believe that He does. For me, it’s not an audible voice, but rather a penetrating inner voice, a voice that is only recognizable when time is spent with Him.
If you have attended church for any length of time, or have studied the Bible, you perhaps remember a story we often refer to as “The Burning Bush,” which is taken from the book of Exodus. It’s one of my personal favorites.
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn up.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:2-4
Moses did not set out that particular day to get a word from God. In fact, he was simply walking along, minding his own business as he observed a strange phenomenon. A bush was burning, but was not burning up. It was at this peculiar incident that he made a decision to stop and turned the direction of the bush, and when he did, God spoke to him.
I have often wondered that if Moses had not stopped and turned aside, would he have heard God? Probably not. That particular day, Moses had a decision to make and he made a choice that changed his life.
He stopped.
He looked.
He listened.
Moses had to change his direction to hear God’s voice.
When Moses saw the bush was burning, he stopped and turned aside. Only when he stopped and turned toward the bush, did God speak to him.
More and more, I am convinced that each of us encounter burning bushes in our lives on a regular basis. Perhaps, the reason we don’t hear God speak through them is we never stop and turn, or observe, not a bush, but an individual, an incident, or an instance. We have too much to do, and we don’t have time to stop. If we stop, our schedule is wrecked and we can’t have that.
Could it be we’re too busy to hear God?
The journey my life has taken was not predicted, nor preferred. It has caused me to stop, to wait, and to observe. And in doing so, I heard God speak.
I have asked God to help me be aware of circumstances around me, that I need to stop and notice. Many times I pass individuals, or things, and after passing, I ask myself, “Was that bush burning? Was that some one, or some thing, that God wanted to use to speak to me?” But because I thought I didn’t have the time, I rushed on by, and wondered what I may have missed.
Perhaps in your rush to complete your schedule, you’ve hurried past people or situations that God wanted to speak through. Perhaps there was a “burning bush” that invited you to change your direction, but you didn’t have time.
God still speaks today, but you may have to change your direction to hear Him. You may have to stop, look, and listen. It may require you to make a decision to interrupt your schedule to make a choice about a person, a place, or a thing, and ask yourself, “Was that bush burning?”
Still Believing!
