Stop Look And Listen

Stop! Look! And Listen!

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 3:4

Poor Moses! He was born for greatness. He had a great destiny as a leader. He was reared in the house of Pharoah. He had all the advantages of wealth and power. Educated and groomed  as a statesman and scholar. And yet he finds himself in the desert of Midian tending a handful of sheep. An awful sense of futility must have overwhelmed Moses.
And right at this moment of intense discouragement God shows up in the form of a burning bush that was not consumed. God called out to Moses from this bush. But when did God call him? When “he turned aside to see”! Not when he admired and wondered from a distance, but when he came close to examine a bush that would not burn up! That’s when God called him by name!
Maybe like Moses you find yourself in a spiritual desert. You feel like you started out ok but somewhere along the way things went terribly wrong. And now the word “Failure” stares you in the face. And you have to wonder, “Where is God in all of this? Has be abandoned me? Given up on me?” No he has not! Though he seems strangely quiet, He is there. He is there waiting. Waiting for you to seek Him out. We have become so busy we have not simply taken the time to consider  God. To include Him in our lives, our plans and our dreams.
And we must be careful that in seeking Him out we don’t get caught up in the hustle and bustle of spiritual pursuit. This is why there are many who attend church and attempt to serve God through many various methods yet still find themselves unfulfilled. And numbers of others just give up and quit in frustration. We are constantly challenged to do more, be more and give more! But through all the noise God says, “Be still and know that I am God!” Let God be God! To use a modern expression, “Just chill out!”
What God desires from us is a “Restful Availability”.  We can learn a lesson from that burning bush. It was just a bush. Nothing special! And yet under the power of God it became something extraordinary! It was not the bush but God IN the bush! It will never be you, but God IN you! Have you come to place where you present yourself for what you are – nothing – to be filled with what He is – everything!
So maybe it’s time to stop, look and listen. To stop and examine where you are. Take a look at God again and really see Him this time. And listen. And when you do, you will hear Him calling out your name!


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