Turn Aside and See

…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. – Exo 3:2-4

There is a great difference in people. Most people live in apathy and total indifference toward God until a crisis comes into their life. Of the few that are awakened to think about God and have a desire to know about Him most never get past the stumbling block of religion. They stop far short of knowing God personally and simply begin to profess and/or practice religion. For all practical purposes, they live their lives the same way that all people without God do – in murmuring and unbelief – continually keeping God on trial for everything that happens in their life and in the world. If things are good then they are not angry or antagonistic toward God, and may even give Him a nod once in a while. But if things are not good then they assume that God has mistreated them or has turned against them and is trying to hurt them. This is the realm in which most people on earth live their lives.

Then there are a few people who truly find the living God and their life shines with the reality of God’s working in their soul. To them His presence seems to be real all the time. This kind of person is very rare indeed. Why are there only a few people like this while by far the great majority is on the broad road we talked about above? Let’s take a look at Moses. He was certainly one of the few who knew God in a more personal way than others. What a difference there was between Moses and the rest of the Israelites!

One major event in the life of Moses is what set him apart from all the rest. That was the day that he “turned aside to see.” Moses went to the mountain of God – the place associated with God. Some time later all Israel went to the place where God was, too, but they stopped short, because of their fear. While Moses was there in the place of God he saw something that got his attention. It was something unnatural. Fire consumes and yet this bush was not consumed. It was something unusual – one bush burning alone, while those around it were not burning at all. Besides that, it was something that would cause alarm and fear in a natural man. Moses had a flock that was in danger if there were a wildfire in the desert. Moses did not run from it. Moses did not ignore it. Moses did not overlook it because of his busy-ness or other concerns. He stopped and turned aside to see “this great sight.” He meant to inquire further – to find out more. He wanted to know and to understand how this could be. There was something different going on here and he wanted to find out what it was about. The result was that Moses met God in person and his life was never the same again. From that point God was always a real presence in the life of Moses.

Most people miss God because they will not “turn aside.”

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Rom 10:17

Finding out about God is about hearing the Word of God. You must listen to hear. You must “turn aside” to listen.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: …and unto you that hear shall more be given. – Mark 4:23-24

There are plenty of burning bushes in our day, but few that are turning aside to see. There are plenty of people who have survived the fire and not been consumed. Have you ever taken the time to try to find out how someone survived impossible tragedies and troubles in their life without being consumed in the process? If you ever turn aside long enough to see you will find that it is only because God was real in their life and He sustained them. There are plenty of people who have been in the fire without spreading it to those around them. By the way, one is always alone in the fiery trials of faith. We have all seen plenty of people who have become bitter because of the trouble in their life, but we have all seen a few that became sweeter instead. Have you turned aside to see what the difference was in their case? There are plenty of people who are in the fire right now and if you would turn aside to see you would hear the voice of God out of the midst of the fire.

People will not turn aside from their cares to go to a place where God can speak to them. People will not turn aside from their pleasure-seeking long enough for God to speak to them. People will not turn aside from their own conceit and self-righteous pride long enough to hear the voice of God. People will not turn aside because usually they will have to leave the way everyone else is walking in order to do so. God will not speak to you until you “turn aside.” You might be in the very presence of some “great sight” but if you do not turn aside to see, you will walk right past God and miss your opportunity to know Him like Moses did.

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. – Exodus 3:4

Has the Lord saw you “turn aside to see” yet? Have you given any consideration to what keeps certain people from being consumed by the fire? God can not speak to you until you stop and look – and look deeply.

There is a great reward for those who will stop and “turn aside and see.” Just think for a moment what Moses must have felt and realized when he heard the very voice of God speaking to him and calling HIS name – “Moses, Moses!” Think what it was like to be alone and in the very presence of God! It was an encounter that altered the life of Moses and the lives of countless others, and changed the course of history. It was not a religious experience – it was an encounter with God. You do not need religious experience – you need God himself. You can find religious experience everywhere but you can not find God himself unless you “turn aside and see.”

Do not be satisfied to be entertained by people who only have intellectual knowledge of God. Do not be satisfied with emotional puff and fluff and excitement. Do not be satisfied with the profession or practice of religion – seek a real first-hand knowledge and understanding of God for yourself. Seek out people who have been through the fire and really know something about God. You can find them in lots of places – in a nursing home, or a hospital, or sitting in your own church unnoticed. You can generally recognize them by the steadfast and quiet spirit that they possess. There will also be a depth to them that you cannot explain. Their outward appearance might not arrest your attention. It might even be repulsive or uncomfortable for you. Turn aside and spend some time with them. Let them talk while you listen. You might find a well of deep water. You might find a bush that has been on fire but not consumed. You might find someone who truly knows what the grace of God is. You might find someone who has survived the impossible only because of God’s hand upon them in ways that few people ever know. You cannot go skipping lightly through life and find such a relationship with God. You will have to “turn aside” just like Moses did. In spite of being busy; in spite of your fear and uncertainty; in spite of the risks you might be taking by turning aside, you must do so if you will find that true, intimate walk with God. Besides, you will need what they have one day! Do not keep on walking over the gold mines of treasure that are all around you – “turn aside and see!”

Mike Miller
Saturday, August 29, 2009