You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

Have you ever heard the phrase, "curiosity killed the cat?” Isn’t that such a sad thing to think about? First of all, nobody wants the cat to be killed; it's just a kitty. Second, it kind of makes curiosity seem like a problem. What’s interesting is that this popular saying has a second half. The full thing goes like this: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” Not much better. At least this time the cat isn’t gone. What’s so interesting about this common phrase is that it implies that curiosity is dangerous, but the pursuit of knowledge is worth it in the end. Now, I cannot say that all acts of curiosity have been 100% safe, but I do know that curiosity is not the enemy, nor should it be dismissed as bad. The Bible shows us that it is one of God’s favorite tools for reaching out to people. Don’t you want to know what the Word of God can teach us about the way God operates? I promise you that being curious isn’t dangerous, and like the cat, the satisfaction of knowing will bring you life.

It’s no secret that my favorite person in the Bible, besides Jesus, is Moses. The reason for this is that Moses shows us what it is like to have a deep and complicated relationship with God. We are first introduced to Moses as a baby when his mother and sister are trying to keep him safe from the Egyptians. He is ferried in a basket down the Nile River, and through the guidance of God, the Egyptian princess finds him. Fast forward a few years, and Moses is an Egyptian prince with the heritage of the Hebrew slaves. He probably doesn’t know how to relate to others around him. Nobody in the entire world has been in his situation before. As he is trying to do right by his people, the Israelites, he kills an Egyptian and flees. Talk about a complicated life. We find him next shepherding sheep for his father-in-law in the wilderness. Moses is trying to live the simplest life possible, and yet God knew that Moses was meant for more. So how does God tell Moses this?

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. 3:2 NIV

God could have appeared to Moses in really any way He wanted. Throughout the Bible, God uses various people, events, and even animals to reveal His plans to people. I personally think that God is really cool for using a lot of different means to reach out to us. When God reaches out to Moses, He doesn’t do so with a large display of power and might. Instead, God opts to reach out in what could almost be described as a disguise. I do not think God was trying to hide His presence, but God knew Moses, and He knew what would happen if He approached Moses with a grand gesture.

So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up. 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.” 3:4 NIV

The Bible tells us that God didn't reveal Himself to Moses until Moses decided to take notice of the “strange sight.” I wonder how long Moses was contemplating the burning bush. I wonder how long God would have waited. I wonder what God would have done next if Moses decided to turn away from the burning bush. We won’t know until we get to ask God in heaven because Moses takes the bait. He lets his curiosity win and approaches. This is where I think God displays His intimate understanding of His creation.

God had a purpose for Moses; He had big plans, but He knew that Moses would reject Him. Through the course of their conversation, Moses tries to deny God’s request three times. Each time God provides him with a solution to the problem Moses comes up with. God knew Moses, and God knows us too. He knows what will catch our attention. It makes me wonder, is God doing something “strange” or “miraculous” right now to grab my attention?

We are in week 2 of our I Wonder Challenge. This week, we are wondering, who is God leading me to? God’s purpose in reaching out to Moses wasn’t only for Moses’ benefit, but because He had a mission in mind. We see later on in the Book of Exodus that not only were the Israelites saved, but many Egyptians went with them. If we continue on eventually in the book of Joshua, we hear of Rahab, who lives in Jericho. She tells the two spies who visit her that she has heard of what God has done, and she wants to go with them. Moses was given a mission, and today we have been called to go. I wonder, who is God calling you to?