by Dawn Lipsey
"Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:1-4 (NKJV)
This scripture caught my attention today. I've read it many times, but today it was certain words that halted my reading and pricked my heart. Moses said, "I will now TURN ASIDE and SEE THIS GREAT SIGHT." Then, when the Lord saw Moses had TURNED ASIDE, then God called out to him and Moses answered "Here I am". Conversation and assignment with God came to Moses in a particular order and comes to us in the same manner when we respond to what He is showing us. When we TURN ASIDE and leave our normal routine of obligation to explore the extraordinary found in a supernatural God, our lives are gloriously changed.
Life with God is a glorious adventure, but for those like me who like life to function by their perfect plan and to predict how things will turn out, this TURNING ASIDE can often be difficult. "Stick to the plan" is what one man on the reality TV show we love called Survivor said at a tribal council. We belly-laughed at his comment because tribal councils hardly ever go according to plan. But isn't that true with life as well? It most often goes awry, and yet I've picked up his motto, "just stick to the plan." But does TURNING ASIDE have to be so bad? Opportunities for something more, to see something greater, come from a varying from the norm. Same can be said of our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes we just go through the motions, and it becomes mundane. We subconsciously reason time at weekly church service is enough. But perhaps we pass up opportunities where God shows up around us to do something new and great in our lives, yet we're too busy with our everyday routine and normalcy that we don't even bother to turn aside to give a second look. It's in this TURNING ASIDE, when we turn our attention and our time to see how there might be something marvelous in the works even when it seems strange or awkward to us, that we truly begin to experience the glorious life God has prepared for us.
A bush burning in the desert wasn't something new for a shepherd like Moses to see, but a bush that didn't burn out, now that was something that caught a shepherd's eye. His curiosity was peaked. His 'need to see' something different prompted him to turn aside from his everyday routine. What is it that would cause you to turn your eye and refocus your momentary steps? Do you need to see something different in life and your relationship with Jesus? God didn't just do this for Moses and stop there, but He does it daily for each of His children. My concern is that I miss so many things because of the hustle and bustle to get it all done in the day. No time for anything extra! And yet, I miss out on moments where the Lord wants to see if I will turn aside and come to Him. He's waiting to converse with me and tell me the extraordinary plans He has for me and my next steps, yet no time, no time. Got to get to work. Got to do laundry. Got to get the kids off to school. Got to get this done and that done. No time to turn aside. Don't get distracted. Stick to the plan.
Distracted means a drawing away or apart from; separation; disturbance of spirit or mind; agitation. It can be a madness of disordered reason that is a folly in the extreme that amounts to insanity. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." This is what we see happen with Moses. This is the correct order. This is the true plan -- to draw near to Him not to our plan. We have it in reverse (or I do at least.) We're to be chasing after a supernatural God and not be distracted or drawn away from that pursuit; yet I follow to my plan and tell myself "don't be distracted or drawn away from today's schedule". Foolishness I see now. Moses would have missed out on walking in a very unique relationship with God had he not turned aside from his schedule and drawn near to God that day. God is always doing something new in His children, but we often miss those opportunities because we don't take time to TURN ASIDE from our plans even in the mundane so that we can see the extraordinary around us. The signs are there and God is waiting to see if we will make that choice and that effort. WHEN we do, a holy conversation begins and a divine, unique relationship is born. Perhaps the Lord has something new and possibly a bit scary for us to do. Perhaps He is ready to impart the assurance of His presence and power in our lives too like He did for Moses. No perhaps to it! He is! Don't be distracted from the true plan of drawing near to Him. It's what we were created to do --- fellowship with Him first, then the God-given life assignment's come. Overwhelmed lives and overfilled schedules can become the true distraction, the true madness, and become our disordered reason that eventually leads us to insanity -- doing something over and over but expecting a different outcome. I know my constant phone reminders that tell me I'm behind schedule because I didn't build enough margin into my day should be my telltale sign that my reasoning is disordered, but yet I continue to repeat it daily expecting a different outcome. Sad but true. It's madness! It's distraction in it's purest form.
My goal today is to see distraction in the correct order and as it truly is. I am to seek Him first, THEN all these other things will be given to me (Matt 6:33). I am not to let my schedule and my plans distract me from drawing close to Him. I am made to TURN ASIDE from my selfish ways to seek His marvelous plan for my life. There's a song I recently heard called "Order Disorder Reorder" by Jason Gray. So interesting. It says:
I thought
Everything was as it should be
I believed that it was all up to me
As if I was in control
Then I lost
Everything I thought that I knew
I couldn't see that You were leading me to
Something beautiful
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over
It wouldn't be the way I choose
But this is how You make me new
So here I am, I'm all in
Though it feels like falling
That's what it takes for You to break through
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over and over
I thought
The storm would never come to an end
I begged You again and again
To send a miracle
But the storm was
The way You broke my heart open wide
To get to what was hidden inside
And call it beautiful
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over and over
So here I am, I'm all in
Though it feels like falling
If that's what it takes for You to break through
Give me the faith when I'm afraid to say
Here I go, I'm ready
I know You won't forget me
You'll give me the grace to find a way through
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over and over
I don't really wanna change
If I'm telling You the truth
But like it or not, Your love won't stop
Till it makes me new
So give me all that You got
From the bottom to top
Till I look like You
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over
Order, disorder, reorder
Over and over
It wouldn't be the way I choose
But this is how You make me new
So here I am, I'm all in Though it feels like falling If that's what it takes for You to break through Give me the faith when I'm afraid to say Here I go, I'm ready I know You won't forget me Give me the grace to find a way through Order, disorder, reorder Over and over and over
I think if we are all honest, we've all been afraid of change at one time or another, and yet greatness and divine purpose are often on the other side. I've seen in my life time and again, that although it wasn't the way I would choose, God has done some pretty amazing things as He makes me new. My goal is to embrace newness not normal, to turn aside from the mundane for the marvelous. It's crazy to say "order, disorder, reorder"or is the opposite insanity? Today I TURN ASIDE, and I hear Him so much more clearly. Forgive me Lord for getting it backwards. Thank you for grace!