In Exod. 3:2-6, we read how the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush that wasn’t consumed. “And Moses said, ’I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ ⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (v.3-4).

How many of us have ever seen something incredible, perhaps noticed it and even thought it was great, yet passed by anyway, in a hurry to get somewhere? “Wow, that’s awesome! But I can’t be late for…” Or, “Cool! Too bad I don’t have time to investigate or enjoy it, though. Got too much other stuff to do!”

As a result, we miss out on meeting God in the moment.

The encounter continues—“Then he [the Lord] said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’  And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” (v.5-6)

What do we learn from all this? Moses had to stop in his daily routine, notice, and turn aside to not only see a burning bush, but to have a real encounter with the Lord.

It took intentional attention on Moses’ part in order for the Lord to speak to him. God doesn’t call to our backs or chase us, like a junior reporter begging the attention of a celebrity.

He waits for us to come and give Him our attention. When He sees He has our full, undivided, attention, facing Him, then He calls our name. When we answer, He speaks and makes Himself, His character, and His will known to us.

We have to voluntarily, purposely, give Him our full attention, which often means stopping whatever else we are doing, and taking time out for a detour from our current path.

This includes our path of accomplishments, path of seeking something, path of “things to do, people to see”, path of pleasure, path of avoidance, etc. Whatever path we find ourselves on, when we see that bush burning, we need to leave it to find Him and hear what He has to say to us.

Just like when my siblings and I were children, and it was time for dinner. We’d be outside– in the yard, a neighbor’s yard, on the street, or even down the street, and hear my mom ringing the dinner bell.

We had a big, old, thick-metal bell, with a loose handle. That meant extra flexibility and thrust power whenever she rang it, up and down, “Ge-DANG, ge-DANG, ge-DANG…!” The whole neighborhood knew we needed to go home and in for dinner. We could’ve ignored the bell and either missed dinner or have to eat it cold. We wisely chose to go immediately, or at least after the third ring (cold mashed potatoes didn’t appeal to me)!

For me, pleasing my parents, plus getting good, hot, food, motivated me to intentionally give my attention to that big, old, dinner bell and my mom ringing it. For Moses, finding out why the bush was burning and recognizing the supernatural in that, motivated him to turn aside and check it out. The Lord rewarded him with the first of many intimate conversations and revelations of His truth, character, holiness, and love.

When we, like Moses, turn aside, with intentional attention, we too will recognize His holiness and power, and remove our sandals, as it were, in humble acknowledgement of Who He is and what He does. Yet, unlike Moses, we won’t have to hide our face in fear, because the Lord has come, as Jesus, to remove our fear and allow us to meet Him face to face!

We just have to turn aside to do that. Want the most out of life? Give Him our intentional attention. He’s worth it.

“He who pays attention to the word [of God] will find good,
And blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who trusts [confidently] in the Lord.” (Prov. 16:20 AMP)

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Ps. 34:8)