“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So, Moses said, “I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” Exodus chap. 3: 2-3 of the Holy Bible.
This scripture describes a man, who saw a strange and unusual event occurring in a natural setting, yet he could not explain it. Therefore, he “turned aside” in order to make a closer examination and as a result experienced an encounter with God. Moses met God and they had a conversation.
Was Moses looking for God? No, he was tending sheep. Perhaps that is why we, you and I, don’t always experience God. We are not looking. We don’t turn aside and see God’s presence in our world because we are too busy. We are tending our version of sheep. Will it take an unnatural phenomenon to occur before we experience God?
I suggest to you the reader, that the world is full of burning bushes. We simply have to turn aside and see. If you observed a beautiful Autumn sunset, do you have a conversation with God? If you hear a child laugh with glee, do you have a conversation with God? If you see an elderly man sitting in a restaurant wearing a ball cap with “Veteran” printed on it, do you have a conversation with God?
The Holy scriptures tell us (Romans 10: 9 and 1st Corinthians 3:16), that if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior, then God, the Holy Spirit, dwells in us. The famous actor/comedian of vaudeville and early TV, Red Skelton, once said, “Always be nice to people you meet, for you never know, the next person, just might be God.”
Perhaps, one just might need some quiet time alone in order to see a burning bush. Have you ever watched a bird come to rest on a feeder? Notice the movement of its head. Its head is always turning from side to side. That is because the precious creature cannot see the same object with both eyes at the same time. Yet, God takes care and provides for that bird. How much more will He care and provide for you and I.
Jesus said, “suffer the children to come unto me, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven,” (Matthew 19:14) Jesus is telling us, that the blessed innocence of a child is what Heaven is like. Remember the phrase in the song, “Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
Too often, elderly people are passed by, simply overlooked, especially veterans. For many folks, we are simply too busy to say, “Thank you for your service.” When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, all eyes “turned aside” and noticed, (John 3:14, Numbers 21: 6-8). He sacrificed for all people for all time.
Have you ever watched tall grass in a wide field sway back and forth when the wind blows? You know it’s the wind causing the movement. You can hear it. You can feel it. You see the results of its actions, but you can’t see it. You can’t see the Holy Spirit, but you can hear it. You can feel it. You can see the results of its actions.
Speak to the elderly man in the restaurant wearing a veteran’s hat. Hug that child who laughs at the simplest gestures. Thank God that you can see a beautiful Autumn sunset with both eyes at the same time. The world is full of burning bushes, we just have to turn aside and see them.
Walter Allen is a graduate of TCHS and Auburn University. He is retired from the paper industry and is a published author. A former president of the Laurens County Museum Assoc. in Laurens, SC. He lives in Tuscaloosa County, AL.
