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.
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