Burning Bush (by Cathe Laurie)
“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 3:4 NLT).
Do you feel like you’re in limbo? Is there an unanswered prayer or dream on your heart?
I was reading my Bible recently and reread the story of the burning bush.
“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 3:2–4 NLT).
Through the burning bush, the Lord speaks to Moses and gives him an answer to the prayer the Israelites had been praying for years: that they would be rescued from Egypt. What a massive event! And while the Lord does first set the bush on fire, let’s look at this sequence of events:
- Moses is out and about doing his business as normal.
- He notices a bush that is on fire but not burning.
- Moses approaches the bush to investigate.
- The Lord sees that Moses has approached the bush and speaks to him.
Notice that God doesn’t just yell at Moses, answering His prayer right away. Sometimes, I think that’s how we think the Lord will communicate with us. We’re waiting for Him to just throw the miracle right in front of us. But we are not complacent bystanders.
“When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look…” (Exodus 3:4 NLT). The Lord waited until Moses approached the bush.
Moses had to take the first steps.
The Lord Has Sent You Some Burning Bushes
Just like Moses, maybe we need to notice and investigate.
Believe it or not, the Lord has sent you some burning bushes. They all look different (unless you’ve literally seen a burning bush, in which case I want to hear your story!). But I would bet that you know what I’m talking about. The Holy Spirit has nudged your heart and is answering your prayer, and you need to be open to listen.
If you’re frustrated that nothing is happening, perhaps it’s because God is waiting for you to pick up the call!
- Listen. Don’t just pray and go about your day. Sit with the Lord and listen to His voice and how He’s answering.
- Take the first steps. The Lord doesn’t need us to move in order to answer our prayers. But sometimes, He calls us to take the first steps so we can learn, practice, and grow into who we need to be in the next phase of life.
There’s a burning bush that the Lord has set just for you! Is today the day you notice it and take those brave steps forward?
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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.
