23/08/2026
Devotional Excerpt from the Upper Room Disciplines
Monday l August 24, 2026
Author: Scott Gunn
Read: Exodus 3:1-3
God's Ways Are Not Our Ways
As he's minding his own business, Moses notices a bush that is burning but not consumed. It might have been tempting to keep on with his pressing work. Moses had places to go, sheep to look after, and things to do. And yet he decides to turn aside to investigate this surprising phenomenon.
The scriptures don't give us any sense that Moses had an inkling that the mysterious flame was, in fact, God. But the scriptures do tell us that Moses changed his plan: He stopped paying attention to what is sure and certain to turn toward a spiritual possibility. This is a good lesson for busy people living in the twenty-first century. God is present with us as we go through life's journey, though we might have to turn aside from what looks like a sure thing and look toward the unknown to see God.
Years ago, I was busy getting work done at the church I was serving. A parishioner kept trying to talk to me while I was working, mostly small talk. I kept working, getting somewhat annoyed that my busyness and important work wasn't more apparent. Finally, perhaps at the Spirit's nudging, I stopped and focused on this child of God. With my full attention, she told me an important story from her life. It was an important day for her, and she'd been looking for a way to tell me.
Had I not "turned aside" from my seemingly important work, I would have missed out on a sacred conversation I still treasure years later.
