God's Timing and Our Calling

We serve a very big God, and He has plans. When God makes plans, He also has unique and creative ways of carrying them out. The story of Moses reminds us that God not only calls people, but He also moves in His timing — and those two pieces must come together.

God’s Rescue Plan

The book of Exodus is all about God preparing His people to exit slavery in Egypt and enter the Promised Land. Centuries earlier, God had told Abraham that his descendants would spend 400 years in a foreign land under oppression. But He promised to bring them out with a mighty hand — and God always keeps His promises.

That deliverance would come through Moses, God’s chosen leader. Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, trained in all the wisdom of Egypt, powerful in speech and action. He had every advantage — but God wasn’t calling him to rely on his abilities. He was preparing him to rely on the Lord.

From Royalty to Refugee

When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit his Hebrew relatives. Though raised in privilege, he remembered where he came from. Seeing their oppression stirred his heart.

One day, Moses saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave. He looked around, saw no one watching, and acted — killing the Egyptian and hiding the body in the sand. Moses assumed his people would recognize him as their deliverer. But instead, they rejected him:

“Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you going to kill me as you did the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14)

Word reached Pharaoh, and Moses fled for his life into the desert of Midian.

Moses had the right motive but the wrong timing. He wanted to deliver God’s people, but he relied on his own strength instead of God’s direction.

Lessons From Moses’ Misstep

This story offers several lessons for us today:

1. Gifts are for God’s glory. Moses was given education, influence, and ability. God gives us talents and opportunities not just for ourselves, but so we can use them for His purposes.

2. With great gifts comes great responsibility. As Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48).

3. Timing matters. Even the right action at the wrong time can fail. God’s plans unfold according to His timetable, not ours.

4. Self-reliance is not enough. Moses acted in his own confidence and fell flat. God’s leaders must learn to depend not on themselves but on Him.

5. Failure can be a teacher. Sometimes the greatest lessons come not from our successes, but from our setbacks. God uses even painful experiences to shape us for His purposes.

God’s Timing is Perfect

Moses’ story reminds us that God is always at work, even behind the scenes. He would spend 40 years in the desert before God called him from the burning bush. Those years of obscurity were not wasted — they were preparation.

And in our lives, too, God may be shaping us through hidden seasons, through both successes and failures, to prepare us for His call in His time.

So let us not only ask, “What does God want me to do?” but also, “When does He want me to do it?” Because God’s victories come not by our strength, but in His timing and by His mighty power.