Some of the most important moments in a life don’t announce themselves. Sometimes they are simply a strange sight on an ordinary day, and a simple decision to take a closer look.
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3 v 1-4)
Moses wasn’t looking for God that day. He was doing what he did every day. He was tending flocks, covering ground, keeping an eye on the sheep. Just another ordinary morning in the wilderness of Midian.
But something caught his eye.
A bush was burning. That wasn’t unusual in the dry heat of the desert. What was unusual was that it kept burning.
He had no idea where he was standing. Horeb was just a mountain to him. He didn’t know it would one day shake with the voice of God. He didn’t know he would return here, leading a nation, to receive the commandments that would shape human history. All of that was still to come. He was simply a shepherd on an unremarkable morning, noticing something he couldn’t explain.
He doesn’t rationalise. He goes over to look. When he did, God spoke to him.
You may be in a season that feels entirely ordinary. But learn not to pass by the burning bushes. Learn to notice what doesn’t make sense. God has a habit of showing up in strange sights and unexpected places and then waiting to see if we will turn aside.
Moses turned aside. God called his name. That’s how it began for him. It still is.
Missions Paul 