Autumn, the richest and most beautiful season of the year, has come. The shortening days and failing leaves remind us that it is getting late in the year, and Winter, the time for Nature’s rest and sleep, is hastening on.

Spring is the bright sunrise of the year, and, like the dawn of summer days, it comes in with a burst of song and of beauty. But even more beautiful is Autumn, the year’s sunset.

You have seen, when the sun is setting in the evening, the clouds take up and reflect his departing glory in all shades of lovely rose and amber tints. In the same way now, as he is preparing to leave us for a season, all nature seems to be doing him honour, bursting forth into a blaze of richest colour, revealing the glory which has been gathered from his own bright rays all through the summer sunshine.

What, dear children, do you see in all this glory and beauty? ls it to you only a wonderful and beautiful sight, or do you see and worship God, of whom it is all the revelation?

Once when Moses was leading his flock in a quiet country place, he saw a great sight,—a burning bush, which though it was in a full blaze, was “not consumed.” He thought this very strange, and turned aside to wonder and admire.

Moses did not at first see God in the burning bush, but as he gazed and considered, he heard a voice, the voice of God, speaking to him out of the midst of the bush, and saying: “Take off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

Oh, what a different place that spot became to Moses at that instant. His eyes were opened. In that burning bush he now saw the glory of the Lord, and he worshipped Him, while God talked with him.

Did you ever think it a strange thing that God should reveal Himself to Moses and talk with him out of a common bush? Well, in this He was not doing anything different from what He is doing all the time to those who can see and hear Him for “every common bush is afire with God.”

In the glorious glowing colours now to be seen in the blossoms and leaves, the fruit and berries, on the bushes and plants and trees, we are looking upon just the same glory that Moses saw when “the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” For remember that all colour is the reflected light of the sun, and this is the glory of Jesus, the Light of the world.

But many do not even see the glory; they pass all these beautiful “burning bushes” by unheeded. Others, like Moses turn aside to see and admire the sight, so beautiful, so wonderful; but they do not see God in it, so they do not know that the place is holy, and they do not “take off their shoes,”—that is, they do not worship the One whose glory they are beholding.

But to those who have “ears to hear” as well as eyes to see, out of the midst every bush and tree and plant comes the voice of God saying, “The place whereon thou standest is holy ground,” for the presence and glory of the Lord are here.

Then, when He has taught us to see His glory and to hear His voice in all the things, He can talk with us, as He did with Moses, “out of the midst of the bush.” In all His works His voice will speak to us, teaching us day by day just the lessons that He sees we are needing, and telling us those secrets of His love which He wants us to know.

The Present Truth – September 14, 1899
E. J. Waggoner

Story in pdf  The Burning Bush