Are We Willing to Turn Aside and Listen to God?

Exodus 3:3-4 – “And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.”

God’s people had been slaves in Egypt for centuries. He was aware of their affliction and heard their cries. The Lord was about to deliver them out of their bondage, and He intended to use Moses as His instrument. It had been forty years since Moses had fled from Egypt. He was faithfully keeping the flock of his father-in-law when he saw something that caught his attention. Moses witnessed a flame of fire coming from the midst of a bush. As he watched, he saw that the burning bush was not consumed. God used this phenomenon to call Moses to a great task.

Thank God that He still calls people to serve Him and to lead His children in His work. Moses’ response to the burning bush serves as a lesson for each of us. God does not call all of us to be leaders of His people, as Moses was; but He has a plan for each of us in His service. How can we discover God’s purpose for our lives? Notice Moses’ reaction to this unusual sight: “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” Moses gave his attention to what he knew was an extraordinary occurrence. He was determined to discover the significance of it. What if Moses would not have turned aside to see? God was going to call Moses to one of the most important assignments any man has ever been given. However, the Lord did not call Moses until He knew that He had Moses’ attention. The Bible says that “when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.”