Most people are aware of the bible’s account of God speaking to Moses from a burning bush. On the surface, God would seem to be grabbing Moses’ attention in a forceful, compelling way, but is that true? In a recent re-read I saw it as a something more subtle.

The relevant bit:

Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
[Exodus 3:2-4 (NIV)]

These points came to my mind:

• No bush would completely burn up instantly. Moses must have been paying attention to it for a little while - long enough to have concluded that it wasn’t burning up.
• For Moses to “go over and see” implies he was some distance from the bush and had to go out of his way to find out what was going on (he was shepherding sheep at the time).
• Its only after Moses became curious about the bush, and did something about it, that God spoke to him.

I believe this is a typical style of encounter between people and God. He uses the direct approach when needed, but for most people, most of the time, its more subtle. God may orchestrate something to arouse our curiosity, but we usually only encounter Him directly after we show an interest and take the time to seek an answer. Its like God is a gentleman, issuing invitations then waiting for us to respond, rather than forcing himself upon us … as with Moses and the burning bush.

If you have no interest in God, and don’t seek him, you probably won’t find Him. But if you are curious, and seek answers …