Getting our Attention

Getting Our Attention

Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-12

When the Lord saw that he had caught Moses’ attention, God called to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” God told him. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” (Ex 3:4-5 NLT)

Moses was sauntering along with his flock of sheep when he saw a strange sight. A bush was engulfed in flames. Not just any ordinary flames, but a column of flame shooting up like a sword. As he moved closer, Moses said to himself, “Amazing! The bush is burning but it’s not burning up. How can you have fire without smoke or ashes?” Talk about getting your attention! This phenomenal sight certainly caught Moses’ attention. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling him out of the flames, “Moses! Moses!” “Who could that be and how did he know my name?,” Moses thought. He was ordered to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. Finally, the voice said, “I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” What a wake-up call! No wonder the voice knew his name, it was the Holy God of his ancestors who was talking to him.

     What would it take for God to get your attention? Would an unexplainable event like what Moses experienced do it? Would it take a miracle? It may not be as spectacular as a burning bush, but just as effective. God uses those actions and circumstances that he knows will cause us to stop and listen. Sometimes he may use drastic health issues, catastrophic storms of nature, business losses, family conflicts, wars and rumors of wars, and even death. God is not limited to a specific means, but in his sovereignty fits the attention getting devices to our specific needs. In all cases he has a specific purpose in mind and a message for us.

     God used a book and a pamphlet to get my attention. The book was entitled “If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat,” by John Ortberg, and the pamphlet was from Wycliffe Associates called “Involved.”  The book taught my wife and I how to find God’s will, face our fears, manage failure, and risk our faith. It was a challenge for us to get out of our comfort zone. God used the pamphlet to point us to Peru as a place of service.

     This is exactly what happened to Moses. He was safely seated in the boat watching a flock of sheep when God called to him from a burning bush. What did God want? He wanted Moses to get out of the boat and follow him. It was time for Moses to get out of his comfort zone, and become the deliverer of the enslaved people of God in Egypt.

     Whatever means God uses to get your attention—turn aside, like Moses, and listen for his still small voice.

Prayer: Dear Lord, how thankful I am that you called my wife and I as a team to serve you.