There is a small shrub called dictamnus albus that grows in Israel (as well as many other places). It is also known as the “gas plant” or “burning bush,” because it emits a flammable vapour and has been said to spontaneously combust if it gets hot enough in the desert sun. Some Bible commentators believe the dictamnus albus might be the very species of bush Moses encountered.
Hearing His Voice Begins With “Turning Aside”
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
This is where Moses received his divine call and discovered God’s will for his life. But there is an interesting detail recorded here that many people miss. First of all, it’s important to note that Moses was not impressed because a bush was on fire. He had lived in the wilderness for forty years. I’m sure he had encountered many dictamnus albus bushes before, and perhaps he had even seen them spontaneously combust. But this one was unique because it kept burning and burning and burning, and yet, “The bush was not consumed.”
I don’t know how long the bush burned before Moses realised something extraordinary was going on. Maybe it burned for a day or a week or a month before he decided to investigate the phenomenon. The Scriptures don’t tell us. But one thing is certain. God never shouted out to Moses from the bush, “Hey, you—Moses! Come over here. I have something I want to say to you!” Instead God waited until verse 4. It says when the Lord saw that Moses turned aside to see, then and only then did God call out to him from the midst of the bush.
I have often been asked, “Why doesn’t God speak to me?” I think many times the reason is so simple—we aren’t listening! We are often so busy and in such a hurry that we rush right past the Lord and never stop to give Him our attention. I wonder how often we miss an encounter with God or a word from heaven simply because we are too busy to take the time to “turn aside.” I have met some Christians who feel very sorry for themselves because it seems they are always being forgotten and passed over. While others have burning bush experiences and receive great revelations from God, they seem to always be left out. They ask, “Is God angry with me? Doesn’t He love me? Aren’t I special to Him?” My friend, perhaps God has just been waiting for you to slow down and “turn aside.”
Several years ago I ministered in a church where a powerful move of the Holy Spirit caused tremendous growth because people were being saved and discipled. After one of the powerful services I saw a new convert talking to a deacon of the church. I was curious to know what they could be discussing, so I moved closer to listen. I heard the young man saying, “I’ve only been saved for a short time, and I struggle with prayer.” The deacon said, “Young man, prayer is easy. It’s just talking to God. Talk to Him like you would talk to a friend.”
“Yes, I do that,” the young man said, “but after about five minutes I’ve said everything I know to say. Yet I hear other people saying they pray for hours. How can someone pray for so long? What do they talk about?” The deacon began to explain. “First,” he said, “you need to make a list of all your friends and relatives on a piece of paper. Then you need to list everything you need from God. Then you need to list everything you can be thankful for . . . ” And the catalogue of things to talk with God about went on and on. After the deacon finished giving his advice, I pulled the young man aside and said, “Do you really want to know the secret to prayer?”
“Yes” he said, “please tell me.” I said, “I can give it to you in one word: listen.”
My friend, as sincere as that deacon was, his advice to the young convert was terrible. If that young man had done what he was told to do, I’m sure his prayer life would have been exhausted within a week. Prayer is not about making lengthy lists of requests for God and continually chattering for as long as possible. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to be quiet and listen! When I am in the presence of someone who is full of wisdom and who has many years of rich life experience, I make it a point to keep my mouth shut and listen to what he has to say, because I know that what he has to say is more important than what I have to say.
Do you think for one second that what you have to say is more important than what God has to say? François Fénelon said, “A humility that is still talkative doesn’t run very deep.” Learn to become quiet in the presence of the Lord, in a posture of humility and awe, and tune your spiritual ears to His voice. God will speak to you in this place, and you will encounter His presence as Moses did—when you turn aside and listen.
Live Before You Die ( Book )
God has a plan for everyone. Do you know yours?
Live Before You Die was written to help you discover God's will for your life.