By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 2: The Sovereignty of the Call
Week 7: The Encounter (The Invitation)
Anchor Scripture: “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…” — Exodus 3:3–4 (NKJV)
The Teaching
As we move into the second week of this month, we shift from the pre-natal call to the Encounter. There comes a moment in every prophet’s life when the sovereign plan of God moves from the background of your history to the foreground of your “now.” This is the Divine Interruption.
For Moses, it happened on an ordinary day while he was doing his job—tending sheep in the back side of the desert. He wasn’t at a prayer meeting; he was in his routine. Suddenly, God interrupted the natural laws of his environment with a bush that burned but was not consumed.
The sovereignty of the call means that God reserves the right to crash into your schedule. The “Burning Bush” is any supernatural anomaly—a dream, a sudden conviction, an unusual circumstance—that God uses to arrest your attention. But notice the pivot point: God did not speak until Moses “turned aside to look.” The encounter is sovereignly initiated by God, but it must be humanly acknowledged. The Prophet is someone who has developed the habit of “turning aside” from their own business to attend to the King’s business.
Prophetic Insight
A “Burning Bush” moment is often inconvenient. It happens when you are busy, when you are tired, or when you think you’ve finally settled into a quiet life. Do not ignore the “strange sights” in your spirit. That recurring thought, that unusual dream, or that “burning” in your heart that won’t go away is God’s attempt to get you to pull over on the highway of your life. The Burning Bush is also a picture of the Prophet themselves: a human vessel (the bush) filled with the fire of God, yet not consumed by it. God wants to show you that His call won’t destroy you; it will simply inhabit you.
The Activation
Identify one “interruption” you’ve experienced recently—perhaps a sudden urge to pray, an unusual dream, or a repeating message from different sources. Today, instead of pushing it aside to finish your “sheep-tending,” intentionally “turn aside.” Set aside 20 minutes to sit with the Lord and say, “Lord, I see the fire. What are You saying to me?”
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that You are a God who interrupts. I thank You that You care enough to arrest my attention. Forgive me for being so busy with my own ‘flocks’ that I ignore Your ‘fire.’ I choose to turn aside today. Speak to me from the midst of my circumstances. I am ready to listen to the mandate You have for my life. Amen.
