Take a Closer Look
Wednesday Word - 02.14.2024
One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.
“This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
Exodus 3:1-4 NLT
I have been slowly making my way through the book of Exodus since the beginning of the month. I have read Exodus a few times, and it’s actually one of my favorite books of the Bible. Although I am familiar with the story of the Israelites - God seeing their struggles; delivering them from Egypt; and their frequent disobedience and irreverence of God - I felt the need to walk slowly through the text this time, and allow the Holy Spirit to show me things that I glanced over before.
He’ll do that, you know? Because God’s word is living and active, there’s a fresh revelation waiting for you every time you flip through its pages.
So today, I wanted to share the new revelation that was waiting for me when I read through Exodus 3 a few days ago.
Take a closer look.
As I was reading through the familiar passage written above, I couldn’t move past these words: When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him.
God did not call out to Moses until Moses decided to take a closer look.
Intrigue.
Amazement.
Curiosity.
Something unusual was happening and instead of running away from it, Moses walked toward it.
I couldn’t help but wonder, “How often have I missed what God wanted to say to me because I was too busy, or too blinded, or too stubborn to stop and take a closer look?”
How often have I brushed something off as weird or unusual, not discerning that it was actually the Lord trying to get my attention?
I wonder what would have happened if Moses hadn’t chosen to take a closer look. Would God still have called out to him anyway? Would He have tried to get Moses’ attention using something more familiar?
We’ll never know, but what we do know is that God wants our attention as well. There are things that He desires to say to us too. He spoke then and He’s still speaking now.
What’s the burning bush in your life?
Is it the teenager that’s acting outside of their character? Take a closer look.
Is it the change in finances that feels like it came out of nowhere? Take a closer look.
Is there something happening in your world that feels strange or unusual? Take a closer look.
Maybe the Lord is trying to get your attention.
Today, I pray that your eyes will be opened and your discernment heightened so that you may also come and take a closer look at what God may be using to redirect your gaze to Him. 🤍