It was just a normal day tending a flock of sheep in the desert, something Moses did every day. But suddenly he noticed something unusual. A bush was on fire but did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up” (Exodus 3:3).

When the Lord saw that He had Moses’ attention, He called his name and gave Moses the message He had for him. At eighty years of age, God commissioned Moses to return to Egypt to bring His people out of captivity and into the Promised Land.

This was something that was beyond what Moses felt he could do, and although he gave the Lord all the excuses he could think of as to why God should send someone else, the Lord persisted. Moses obeyed and fulfilled the plans and purposes and calling upon his life.

Hundreds of years later, on another ordinary day, Simon Peter had been out fishing with his partners all night, and they hadn’t caught anything. But then suddenly Jesus got into his boat and had Peter go out from shore where He taught the people. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).

Just as Moses did, Peter also objected at first. But when he did as Jesus asked, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. Another boat came to help, and both boats were so full of fish that they began to sink. This certainly got Simon Peter’s attention.

Now that He had his full attention, Jesus used this unexpected event to tell Peter his mission and calling. He said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men” (verse 10). So the men pulled their boats on the shore and walked away, leaving everything to follow Jesus and fulfill the plans God had for their lives.

Many times God will bring about unexpected events or unusual sightings to get our attention and cause us to stop and take notice.  Once He has our attention, He can then reveal something important, a calling or mission or purpose for our lives. Sometimes He wants to teach us something through these events.

On a normal summer day some years ago, I went out for a walk to my favorite spot. As I sat on the flat rocks on a culvert over a little brook, I enjoyed listening to the brook and birds, watching the little waterfalls spilling over the rocks.

Suddenly three heads popped up out of the water a couple feet below my dangling feet. Before I had time to move or scream or react, the heads came up out of the water. I sat amazed as I watched three otters run up the brook, around the bend and out of sight.

This unusual, unexpected sighting was over in a flash, but I sat there marveling for a while. The Lord used this event to instruct and clarify some things I would need to know for the future. He had definitely gotten my attention.

As we go through our days, we need to pay attention to what’s going on around us. Take notice of anything unusual or unexpected, and ask the Lord if there is anything He wants to teach or communicate to you.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 845-482-5300.