Great events often turn on seemingly inconsequential ones. A sixty year marriage is born from a chance meeting. A career emerges from a summer job. A failure takes a break from his duties because he's curious, and the world is changed.

Moses looms large in the history of God's people. We read of his faith, obedience, accomplishments and lapses, but may overlook some of the details of how it began. We perhaps know that his mother put him in a tar covered basket into the Nile to protect him from Pharoah's decree. Then Pharaoh's own daughter happened to see him floating in the weeds, he was snatched from the Nile, and then raised in Pharoah's house. Years later, without introduction, he killed an Egyptian while trying help a fellow Hebrew, and then had to flee for his life. From there, we tend to jump to his encounter with God at the burning bush, as the larger-than-life Moses was called to duty. The reality was quite different. Moses obviously felt he was supposed to help his countrymen. He failed to give useful help, failed to win their respect, and failed to master his fear. He fled, found sanctuary, and then worked for forty years watching another man's herds. The man raised to royalty spent a lifetime doing menial work, exiled from home, heritage, and God.

Then one day, something unusal happened. Moses was working, and he saw a burning bush. We know it was unusual, because we know that God was there. But initially to Moses, it didn't necessarily mean anything more than a lightning strike, or a fire left unattended—unsual but not unique. But Moses was curious. He gave it more than a passing glance. He was not too preoccupied with his duties to be interested. He saw that the bush was burning, but not buring up. He decided to go closer.

. "When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses" And Moses said, "Here I am."

God did not speak until Moses stopped to look. He, and all of creation, waited to see if a man would be interested, pay attention, and turn from his path. God's whole plan for saving His people depended on a never-been-has-been having a spark of curiosity.

In simpler times, parents taught their children to ”Stop, Look, and Listen” before crossing a railroad tracks. Perhaps our Father is still trying to teach His children to do the same—not for a train bound to tracks, but for the train of His royal robe that fills His temple. Perhaps God is waiting to see if you will look at what He is doing, waiting to speak. Perhaps.