Acts 7:29-30
Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
For forty years, Moses dwelled in the wilderness after God made clear to him that he would be the man used to deliver Israel out of Egypt. These forty years were the result of Moses fleeing after standing up for his brethren and killing an Egyptian. Moses fled out of fear that Pharaoh would have him killed for killing this man. Moses had to wonder what the purpose of God’s calling was on his life for these 40 years. Yet, to Moses’ credit, he waited on God instead of trying to push ahead without God, and his waiting proved fruitful as he led the children of Israel to the border of the Promised Land.
There are many people who find themselves in Moses’ shoes who feel that God has called them to do something, and yet God seems not to let them do it in the present. Sadly, many have pushed forward instead of waiting on God’s timing only to find a mess that they need to clean up. Many likely ask themselves, what am I doing here? Just like Moses, they find themselves wandering in a wilderness of waiting, not knowing what to do. Let me give you some thoughts on what to do when you are in your wilderness of waiting.
First, trust God; He knows what He is doing in your life. Moses did not know that God was training him to lead Israel for forty years in the wilderness. God was showing Moses how to make it in the wilderness for forty years. God is using your wilderness to train you for His perfect will. While in the wilderness of waiting, you need to learn everything you can from those who are leading you. While you are in the wilderness of waiting, keep doing right like you plan to do when eventually do what you believe God wants you to do. Trust God by doing right. The wilderness of waiting is often God’s training ground to teach you for the work He wants you to be in eventually.
Second, your impatience with God’s timing always causes harm to your life and God’s ministry. I have watched many young preachers who wanted to pastor a church force their way into pastoring, only to be disillusioned with the ministry because they found a place that would make them a pastor instead of waiting on God. There are many backslidden and angry men who blame God and everyone else for their plight when it was their moving ahead of God that caused their situation. You must be patient with God and just do right; God’s will rarely works on our timeline.
Third, God’s timing is impeccable; wait for it. I wish I had the space to tell you about how God worked it out for me to pastor the Maranatha Baptist Church. Had I tried to force God’s will, I would have missed God’s perfect place and perfect timing, which would have caused me to miss living in the “Miracle of Maranatha” that is happening in my church. My friend, God’s timing is always right. Being in the right place and at the right time is what you want. God’s will is doing what He made you to do at His timing and in the exact place He wants you to do it. If you are patient with God, He will lead you to that place in His timing. You will find that God’s timing is impeccable if you will wait, and you will look back at what God does through your life at the place with amazement and realize God had you in the wilderness of waiting to prepare you for the perfect place at His perfect timing.