SOUNDING OUT:
Rekindling Curiosity
In Exodus chapter three God met with
Moses in the form of a burning bush. An angel appeared
to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush
which did not consume it. Moses decided to turn aside
and see why the bush was not burnt, and when he did,
God spoke to Him out of the midst of the bush. Verse
four very specifically notes, "when the Lord saw
that he [Moses] turned aside to see, God called unto
him." When Stephen recounts the incident in Acts
7:31 he says, "When Moses saw it, he wondered at
the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice
of the Lord came unto him." Moses was filled with
wonder and amazement at seeing the bush and wanted to
understand what was going on. When he acted and turned
aside to see, God spoke to him. I wonder how much revelation
is never received from God because people keep walking,
pass by, and never turn aside to see.
"For eight years, Kepler [Johannes
Kepler (15711630) a renaissance astronomer] sought
unceasingly, with unremitting toil, to solve the law
of planetary motion. During those years, he tried nineteen
different hypotheses. One after another of these he
was compelled to lay aside as not conforming to the
motion of the planets. His courage and patience transfigured
failure into success. When, after days of study and
nights of observation, the months showed a theory untenable,
he turned from it without regret, knowing that there
was one less theory to try. At last, he was compelled
to give up every theory of the circle as the explanation
of orbital motion. He then chose the next to the circle
in simplicity, the ellipse. Here he found all the conditions
met. The problem at last was solved, and he cried, "0
Almighty God, I am thinking Thy thoughts after Thee!"
When he had established his second and third laws, and
written his exposition of them, he said: "My book
is written to be read either now or by posterity; I
care not which. It may well wait a century for a reader,
since God has waited six thousand years for an observer."
(Astronomy and the Bible, Louis Reed, p.13)
Curiosity should be a natural response
to God's presentation of Himself. God's wonder and glory
are frequently met in the Bible with amazement and wonder.
On the Day of Pentecost the outpouring of the spirit
was met with amazement and the people asked, "What
meaneth this?" The healing of the man at the temple
gate Beautiful also amazed the people, and they ran
to see wondering. On both occasions Peter taught God's
Word to satisfy their curiosity. Simon also followed
Phillip around wondering at the things he did.
Curiosity is no more clearly seen
than in little children whose constant asking, "Why?"
may cause many a parent annoyance. Unfortunately, that
longing wonder and quest to know are often eliminated
by conditioning. Perhaps it comes from someone of authority
who scolds with, "You ask to many questions."
Perhaps we simple reach a point that we think we know
all that we need to know and quit asking. Regardless
of how the conditioning takes place, all too frequently
our curiosity becomes dormant; our desire to know and
learn is crowded out by all the activity of life.
Curiosity is an attitude that can
be cultivated. Last weekend I was visited by my son
and his family. Two-year-old Connor was a delight as
he moved from one thing to another spurred on by his
endless curiosity. Seeing him made me wonder at the
last time I spent time wondering. Do I know so much
about life and God that I no longer need to ask, "Why?"
David, or whomever the writer of Psalm
119 was, requested of God in Psalm 119:18, "Open
thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out
of thy law." He knew there was so much yet to learn,
and he longed to know more. Does our curiosity venture
us on? Are we too content or satisfied with what we
know now? Are we even honest enough to voice questions
when they come to mind? Are we willing to do what it
takes to get our questions asked? Kepler waited eight
years; most people I know don't want to wait even eight
minutes.
Some of the most thrilling teachings
in the Bible came in response to people's questions.
Look at what Jesus taught in response to Nicodemus'
question in John 3:4, "How can a man be born when
he is old?" Look at what Jesus taught in response
to the Samaritan woman's question in John 4:9, "How
is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which
am a woman of Samaria?" Can you think of others?
After the shepherds had come and found
Jesus in his swaddling clothes, they told the people
what they had heard from the angel concerning the child.
The people wondered, but Mary kept all those things
and pondered them in her heart. That's another reason
we miss out on some of the most tremendous gems that
God has for us in life-we don't take the time to think
about them. We too quickly move on to the next activity
without savoring the richness of the moment that God
just provided for us. Contemplating the things of God
and expressing our thankfulness and wonder are very
important. Building relationships take time, and what
better time can we spend with God than spending it in
His Word and in prayer and praise for all He has done
for us in Christ Jesus?
Let's slow down and hone our curiosity
and wonder at the things of God. The world says, "Curiosity
killed the cat." Well, we are not felines, and
the more inquisitive we become the more reward we will
get out of life. Let's not walk by those burning bushes.
God has something to say.
