Can you think of a time when you so acutely felt the presence of God that you could hardly stand it? God’s presence was so palpable that you had what a friend of mine likes to call, “God bumps.”
Most people spend most of their lives seeking God in the conventional places where one would expect to find God—in church, in the birth of a child, the midst of prayer. And even though God can be found in such conventional settings, God is not content to meet us exclusively in those places. The story of Moses and the burning bush is informative at this point. Moses was out and about minding his own business when he came across a bush that appeared to be on fire. Perhaps he didn’t notice anything at first because he had other things on his mind. But before he walked on by, he noticed that the bush that was burning wasn’t being consumed by the flames. So he stopped to see what was going on. Then from out of the burning bush, the voice of God called to Moses and by the time Moses was finished with that burning bush, he had a commission to be the leader of the people of God out of bondage to freedom in a new land that God had prepared for them.
Had Moses not been paying attention, God would have found another way to get his attention. Or perhaps God would have had to get someone else’s attention. Whichever the case, this burning bush experience became the central motif that called Moses to a life of which he never dreamed. In the same way, God wants to have burning bush experiences with us. And if we are not careful, we will have our eyes fixed on our own destinations so intently that we will walk right by what God is trying to tell us. I know, because I have done this many times. The key to finding God is our busy and crowded lives is paying attention. God may meet us in the quietness of our worship or prayer, but I believe that God desires to meet us in the highways and by-ways of life. So next time your out, don’t be surprised if God gets your attention through the strangest means. It may not be a burning bush, but whatever means God uses with you, you will surely never be the same again. ~ Pastor Bradley Bergfalk
