Bible Studies

When Time is Part of God's Plan

by Anna Osipov
05/21/24
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Imagine Moses as a young man, looking out of Pharoah's palace windows at the Hebrew slaves below, working extremely hard from dawn to dusk every day. I think Moses felt quite privileged and special, for he too deserved to be a lowly slave without any recognition or hope for a better life. As a matter of fact, by the Pharoah's orders, he was supposed to be drowned immediately when he was born.

But he had a different lot in life, and by a strange sequence of events was rescued and adopted by the Pharoah's own daughter and received the title of prince. A true Hebrew like the rest of the captives in Egypt, he somehow escaped the terrible death he was supposed to die as an infant, and beyond that, escaped the enslaved existence the survivors were forced to live.

He knew it was for a purpose, and he knew the purpose too. God had saved him because he was to be the deliverer of the nation of Israel. He was to be the mighty rescuer and hero.

I think as he grew into adulthood and watched his Hebrew kinsmen in their terrible enslavement, he had sympathy for them and often dreamed of the day when he would deliver every one of them in a splendid display of power and triumph.

Perhaps he saw his prestige as an adopted prince of Egypt, and thought because of that he would be able to rescue his kinspeople.

The day finally came when he was grown up - forty years old, as a matter of fact - and strolling through the land thinking of his purpose and mission. When would the right time come? How was he supposed to do it?

Then, right before his eyes, a cruel Egyptian slavedriver beat an innocent Hebrew man and laughed. Rage boiled up inside of Moses and suddenly the moment of revenge had begun. He killed the Egyptian and hid the body, wondering what was he supposed to do next. When Pharaoh heard of the news, he would not be happy. Moses had to act quickly if he wanted his plan of rescuing the Hebrews to succeed.

But alas, no one was on his side. His own Hebrew kinsmen laughed at him and threatened to tell the Egyptians of the murder. Realizing that his own life was now at stake, Moses fled the castle and became an outcast.

I wonder how it felt when he realized that his plan had gone terribly wrong, and his lifelong purpose was lost. Instead of the prince he once was, he now was a poor shepherd with no chance of saving the Hebrew nation.

But God still had a purpose for Moses. Moses was just not yet ready, and his character was still missing the effect of one great influence: time.

For Moses to become the true deliverer of the nation of Israel, he still required forty more quiet humble years working as an unknown shepherd and staying low profile so no one would find out about the crime he committed when he first thought he had begun the rescue of the Hebrews. Who would have thought? Not Moses, certainly.

The day finally came when God called Moses with unmistakable clarity. And Moses was not the pompous, well-known prince he once was; he was a meek shepherd whose heart was finally ready for God to begin working wondrous miracles the like of which the world had not yet seen. For God's power to be shown in Moses, Moses had to be ready and seasoned.

There are so many lessons I want to apply to my own life when I think of Moses and his preparation to serve God. For one, our timing is not God's timing, and we often don't realize that part of God's plan for us includes waiting seasons and sometimes lots of time. Through waiting, God wants us to learn patience, humbleness, trust, and faith. These are priceless character traits we must have if we wish to serve God with all our hearts.

The other thought I want to leave with you is that God's power is shown through our weakness. Sometimes we don't realize that the hardships we go through are necessary for us to understand how weak and helpless we are, and how much we need God.

God couldn't use Moses when Moses thought he was ready - it was forty years later when he was ready to do the great things God had in store for him.

So trust the plan God has for you, and embrace the waiting seasons... God is preparing you!

- Anna Osipov