BEYOND THE BURNING BUSH

READ: Exodus 3: 1-5 and Romans 1: 18-20

“The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handwork.” Psalm 19:1 (ESV)

When Moses encountered God in the burning bush, he still had much to learn about his Lord. Although Moses was impressed by the miracle, much more was needed than this one experience to spur the spiritual growth for him that God knew was required before he was ready for the tasks desired of him.

On a number of occasions I have met believers whose entire faith seemed to be grounded in one specific experience, their burning bush; a seemingly miraculous experience wherein their petitions or those of another were answered in a dramatic way. However, after that manifestation of His Being, He didn’t seem to be evident as a potent force in their lives and their faith dwindled.

I am reminded of a story told by Carrie ten Boom, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, whose entire family was sent to various death camps for the crime of sheltering Jews during World War II.

She tells of once standing at the mandatory roll call on a bitterly cold morning and a cruel guard kept them standing a very long time for no particular reason. Suddenly, a skylark began to sing up in the sky and all the inmates, in spite of their severe discomfort, looked up and listened to that bird’s song. She related that the skylark appeared daily for three weeks exactly at the time of the protracted roll call. She claimed that the bird was sent by God to turn their eyes away from the cruelty of their situation and to have them focus on His bountiful love.

As I read her account I wondered how many other of the prisoners of that seemingly God-deserted place saw the skylark as His messenger -- a harbinger of hope in their seemingly hopeless situation.

However, it is this ability to see God’s hand in His smallest acts that prompts our spiritual awareness. All of us have had a ‘burning bush’ experience but it is the daily burning in our minds and hearts by seeing God working in and around us everyday that promotes our spiritual growth.

May the words of the hymn, “Open My Eyes So That I May See” be our theme today and everyday for our lives.