There’s a detail in the story of Moses at the burning bush that I love. At this stage in his story, life is very different for Moses. Pharaoh’s palace would be a distant memory now as he tended sheep for his father-in-law, spending his days doing the same mundane, everyday tasks. Yet, amid these ordinary responsibilities, Moses had an incredible encounter with God, a moment that transformed his life and his purpose.
It must’ve been a pretty dramatic scene – a raging bushfire not destroying anything! Any sensible person would’ve stayed well away. So, what caused Moses not to go in the other direction but rather to “turn aside to see”? We don’t know or have that detail, but we do know that something drew him to stop and pause and be curious, and what happens next is really my favourite bit. Right before we get to the famous ‘take off your sandals’ section, we read this, “When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (Exodus 3:4, emphasis added).
When the Lord saw.
In February, many Ministers gathered at Murrayfield for the National Ministers’ Conference and one corner of that space was dedicated to prayer. Simple prayer stations, with a simple journey, inviting anyone who wanted to ‘turn aside to see’. There are so many ways we can pray, and situations where we find ourselves met by God, and a prayer space is no more special than any of those other opportunities. Yet, it is also special, not because of how it looks or where it is or who is there, but because of the choice we make, that if we perhaps might turn aside to see for even a moment, what would happen – would God see us, might God speak?
As we walk on in the light of Easter and move towards Pentecost, celebrating and rejoicing in the risen Christ and anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit, perhaps a dedicated prayer space in your church or community could be a helpful addition. A space set aside for people to encounter God, like Moses, in the midst of their everyday lives and everyday tasks. A moment to stop and pause, to rest and listen and be refreshed on the journey.
A prayer space could be anywhere really; a corner of the sanctuary, a room in the church hall, it could be in someone’s living room, it could be virtual, it could be outside or in a street-facing window – there are endless possibilities. A prayer space is simply an offering, an opportunity with a few simple activities and ways to engage – and like Moses, we do not know what God will do or say when we give our attention, but we can take heart and trust that just like Moses when we turn aside to see, God sees us and welcomes us in, no matter where we are.
That burning bush image is very familiar to us in the Church of Scotland. Its imagery and significance echo down through the generations—carved into wood, embroidered in blue, embossed on ledgers, and now on our screens, signs, and websites. The invitation to turn aside to see has always been there for us in our history and in our present, a constant reminder of the God who meets us, the same God who saw Moses and spoke to him from the bush that was not consumed.
We provided some resources on creating a prayer space at the Ministers’ Conference, as well as some simple prayer activities to take away. You can find them below. We hope they inspire you and encourage you to create a prayer space of your own.
Naomi Black, Training Officer, Faith Action
